Nita's Story- an Ice Age fan fic
by Celino
Summary: This is the story of Diego and Shira's daughter, Nita, and her life growing up with the herd on the Island. No copywright infringement intended, I just love the Ice Age story and want the next movie to come out asap! I hope you enjoy it. I've changed the rating from K to T because of the bad guy appearing in later chapters and I'm paranoid about how it will turn out.
1. Chapter 1: Hunting and the herd

Chapter 1: Hunting and The Herd

Nita's paws pounded on the forest floor, following her family as they raced through the woods. Her parents were in front of course, followed closely by her brother and sister. Nita, being the smallest, had never been able to keep pace with any of them, but she was determined to keep up this time.

It was their first hunting trip as a whole family.

However, as they lived on an island, and the rest of their adopted extended family were all herbivores, there were only so many places they could hunt.

Nita noticed that her parents had stopped up ahead and raced harder, landing nimbly on a small boulder to catch her breath.

"Hey Nita, glad you could make it." Her brother Jasper teased, patting her head in the way that he knew annoyed her, but his smile showed that he was genuinely proud of her effort. They had been running full tilt.

"Of course I did." She panted. Jasper was a lot like their father, Diego: tawny fur, hazel eyes and while he acted tough, he was a bit of a softy underneath.

Nita looked over to her sister, Carmen, who was surveying the landscape with their parents. She looked more like their mother, Shira. Snowy-white fur, patterned with dark grey stripes. The only difference was their eyes. Her mother's eyes were a brilliant blue, and also wore two earrings, courtesy of her former days as a pirate.

Nita herself, on the other hand, didn't look quite like either of her parents. Not tawny like her father, nor a pure, snowy white like her mother, but more the colour of white sand.

"Alright guys, there's our target." Her father gestured to the herd of antelope grazing in the clearing before them. "Nita, which do you think we should go for?"

"Me?" Nita asked in surprise.

"Why does she get to pick?" Jasper complained.

Yes, why did she get to pick? Nita wondered. She had overheard her parents debating whether to let her join the hunt, so was surprised to be asked an opinion. Maybe this was a test?

"Okay". If this was a test, she was determined to pass it. Nita scanned the herd of antelope in the clearing. Rule number one: try to get your prey on their own. Rule number two: pick the one you know you can take down.

Nita searched for a likely candidate, until she spotted a young buck grazing at the herd's edge, on their right. It wasn't too far away, and they could still use the forest as cover for an ambush.

"That young buck over there." Nita nodded toward her choice. "We can use the forest as cover to get closer. Mum and Carmen can get on its other side, their fur would help against the snow, and then they can drive it toward the forest where Dad and Jasper could ambush it, and I can be between the buck and the rest of the herd, to stop it rejoining the group."

"Not a bad choice." Her father nodded approvingly.

"How did you decide on those roles for us, Nita?" Her mother asked.

"You and Carmen are more agile, so you'd be able to keep track of the buck easier once you've startled it. Dad and Jasper are stronger, so they should be the ones to take it down, and I'm pretty nimble, but not that strong, so I thought I should just help steer it." Nita explained.

"Alright, let's do it." Nita's mother stood up and began walking silently along the forest edge.

"Wait, you're actually _using_ my plan?" Nita asked.

"Hunting Rule number three?" Her father prompted as he brushed past.

"Whatever your decision is, go with it before you miss your target, because you won't get another shot." Carmen stated as she fell in behind their mother.

Carefully, Nita followed, trying to move and breathe as silently as she could. Once her Dad and Jasper were lined up, her Mum and Carmen stalked carefully into the clearing in a wide arc on the buck's left, as he grazed, oblivious to their silent steps in the snow.

Nita went between the buck and the bulk of the herd, staying flat so as to avoid being seen by the taller antelope. One good thing about being small? It was easier to become invisible.

Once everyone was in position, they waited.

On a silent signal, Shira and Carmen surged forward, roaring, startling the young antelope to run for his life.

Shira and Carmen drove it easily toward the forest, cutting it off as it tried to zig zag around them.

Nita ran along the edge of the herd, keeping her eyes locked on the buck, in case it tried to rejoin the herd, which had recoiled from the scene into a tighter group.

Just as it looked like the buck was about to reach the forest edge, it suddenly bolted to the right, just in front of Nita.

Snarling, Nita sprinted to block of the buck's dash for freedom.

She was there! Growling as the buck raced toward her, Nita held her ground and lashed out with her claws, trying to scare him into turning back toward the forest.

Incredibly, the buck didn't turn.

He jumped.

Right. Over. Nita.

"No!" She screamed in frustration as she spun around in time to see the buck land, scrambling to close the distance to its herd.

Growling, Nita gave chase, but she knew the odds of her getting in front of the buck now were slim.

A white blur came from her right, and Carmen launched herself into the buck's side, pushing it toward the forest edge.

The buck landed hard, right beside the trees, where Diego and Jasper pounced. Jasper held the antelope down, while her father went for the throat.

The buck gave one last kick, and became still.

"Breakfast is served." Diego said proudly as Shira, Carmen and Nita approached, panting, trying to catch their breath. "Good work everybody."

'Yeah, everybody but me,' Nita thought. Her family had each done their job perfectly, but it was Carmen who had kept the antelope from rejoining its herd.

"Nice tackle, Carmen." Nita congratulated her sister. After all, if it hadn't been for her, they'd have nothing to eat this morning.

"Thanks, sis." Carmen smiled. "Your plan worked."

"Not the way I had planned it."Nita pointed out glumly.

"No hunting plan ever works out exactly the way you expect." Shira told her smallest daughter. "You often have to improvise. But if you end up having a meal at the end, it worked."

"You're Mother's right, Nita." Diego said. "You came up with the plan, and now we have food. So it worked well."

"Yeah, so let's eat!" Jasper cheered.

Despite the reassurances of her family, as she ate her fill, Nita still wondered if she had passed her hunting test. Sure, she had come up with the plan, but in the end, it's whether or not you can make the kill. As Carmen had been the one to steer the buck, they could have easily got this meal without her help.

Once their family's hunger was sated, the kids were free to follow their own plans for the day.

"Hey Nita, you coming to The Rock?" Jasper asked as they headed back into the forest.

'The Rock' was the area at one tip of the island, where a huge stone cliff jutted out across the shore to the sea like a solid stone table. The kids like to go there to get away from the adults, slide down the sand dunes and swim in the ocean.

"No, thanks." Nita said. "I think I'll head to the training area, or Switchback cove."

"Come on, Nita." Carmen encouraged. "You never come. Being social isn't _that_ scary."

"Yeah," Jasper added. "And Sasha was asking about you yesterday, she hasn't seen you in a while."

"Well..." Nita considered. "I have missed Sasha..."

"Great!" Jasper cheered. "Come on, let's go!"

They heard the voices and laughter before they got there.

Emerging onto the sand, the three young sabres were greeted by a crowd of teenage herbivores. Most weren't part of their family herd, so as the sabres wondered into the crowd, many gave them scared looks and edged away, giving them space.

Or, Nita thought, giving Carmen and Jasper scared looks and edging away. Nita narrowly missed getting stepped on three times by a group of young mammoths playing a game with a turtle.

Making their way closer to The Rock itself, Nita could finally see Sasha sunning herself on one of the large boulders, the light sea breeze ruffling her soft, tawny fur.

Jasper ran forward. "Sasha!"

Turning her head, Sasha smiled and jumped down, nuzzling Jasper in greeting.

Sasha and her brothers, identical twins Kane and Zane, were stragglers who had washed up on the island as cubs not long after she and her siblings were born. Separated from their pack and trapped on an ice flow, they were half drowned by the time they were found on the beach. As the twins' and Nita's families grew up together, Nita and her siblings took comfort in the fact that they were not the only sabres on the island. It also led to the inevitable: Jasper and Sasha became a couple last month, and both the twins were crazy about Carmen.

"Carmen, hi." Sasha greeted cheerfully, before doing a slight double-take.

"Nita!" She exclaimed in delight, playfully giving her a push, which Nita returned before hugging her friend. "I haven't seen you in ages, where have you been?"

"Avoiding the crowds." Nita looked back over her shoulder at the herbivore kids, some of whom were still keeping a wary eye on the sabres in their midst. Nita spotted some antelope playing a running game in the distance, and thought it best to avoid that group for a while. Everyone knew, of course, that they were sabres and so ate meat. But it did make socialising with herbivores difficult if they weren't part of their family group.

"Kind of hard to do when you live on an island." Sasha said.

"You'd be surprised." Nita replied. "This island isn't _that_ small, you know."

"Hey Sasha, are the twins here?" Jasper asked, looking around.

Sasha sighed. "No. Last I saw them they were in the training area, practicing some new moves to impress Carmen with." She smiled at the white tiger, who rolled her eyes.

"Can they not take a hint?" Carmen asked rhetorically. "Was my tackle too subtle for them last time?"

"I think it may have encouraged them, actually." Sasha admitted.

"Yeah, they probably think you're just playing 'hard to get.'" Jasper added with a grin.

"Hey guys!" A voice called.

The four sabres turned to see a young mammoth walking towards them, a mole-hog riding on her shoulder.

"Hi Peaches." Nita greeted her adoptive cousin. "Hi Louis."

"We're gonna play a game. Wanna join in?" Peaches asked.

"We're in!" Jasper ran forward, the girls following. "What's the game?"

"Relay race." Peaches answered, pointing her trunk to where some kids were setting up what looked to be an obstacle course. "You have to jump from boulder to boulder, then climb over and under those logs, around the tree, and come back before you tag the next person on your team."

"Perfect." Carmen said confidently. "We'll win easy."

As the group walked toward the starting line, Nita felt a shadow go over her. Looking up, she saw a megaloceros, or moose-deer, stepping over her.

"Excuse me." Nita said, called to him. "Can you _not_ walk over me like I don't exist?"

The deer looked down, his huge antlers stretching out from his head like the branches of a tree.

"Oh, I'm sorry, kitten." He said sarcastically, "I didn't see you down there."

That brought Nita up short. "Kitten?"

"Yeah, that's what you are, right?" The deer asked with a smirk. "You're tiny and cute, just like a little kitten."

"She's even fluffy like one." A young mammoth added with a laugh.

Nita felt a growl building. Kitten? She was a sabre!

"Don't," she warned, "call me cute."

"Look out, she might scratch you!" The mammoth called to the deer, who laughed until he found himself nose to nose with Jasper.

"You got a problem, burger brain?" Jasper growled. The deer backed off quickly, shaking his head.

"Ahh!" The mammoth yelped as he felt Carmen's claws digging into his shoulder as she perched on his back.

"Come on, tough trunk." Carmen softly whispered in his ear. "Let's play tag." She dug her claws in further, causing the mammoth to whimper.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The deer babbled, backing away as Jasper followed in a stalker's crouch.

"So am I, I'm sorry too!" The mammoth added. Carmen gave him a final dig before hopping down smoothly.

Both the deer and the mammoth hurried off, not looking back.

Sasha looked apologetically at Peaches. "I don't think we'll be able to join the game now, sorry."

Peaches shook her head. "It's okay. They shouldn't have treated Nita like that."

Jasper turned to his smallest sister, Carmen coming up beside him.

"You okay, sis?" He asked concernedly.

"_That_," Nita spat out "is why I don't come here."

"Nita-" Carmen started, but Nita cut her off.

"No! It happens every single time, and I'm tired of it!" Nita yelled in exasperation, before looking quizzically at her siblings.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Jasper asked.

"Make them scared of you!" Nita gestured in the direction the deer and mammoth had gone. "You can make them back off with a look, but with me it always: '_Oh, look at the little fluffy one! She's too cute to be a real sabre!'"_

Carmen and Jasper looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Nita, you're one of the toughest people I know." Sasha told her. "Every time we train for hunting, you keep going until you either get the move perfectly or your paws start bleeding."

"Like that helped, I couldn't even do my job this morning." Nita grumbled.

"Are you still thinking about that?" Jasper asked, surprised.

"He jumped _right over me_, Jasper." Nita reminded her brother. "Just like that moose-deer did. No fear at all."

Jasper and Carmen were speechless, trying to think of the words to help their sister.

Frustrated, Nita turned and began walking away.

"I'm going to Switchback Cove." She called over her shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2: The new guy

Chapter 2: The New Guy

Once she was in the trees, Nita broke into a run until she felt she'd run her frustration out adequately. Slowing to a stop, Nita took a moment to gaze at the forest around her. Beams of sunlight broke through the branches of the pine trees, making the snow strewn ground appear to glow. The crisp, cold breeze ruffled her fur gently as it stirred up the dead leaves on the ground, causing them to dance in the shimmering winter light.

Nita's uncle Manny had told her how they used to live on a large continent, but had to move to this island when the ground had shifted, causing a wall of rock to destroy their home.

And while this island was filled with mostly herbivores, and stragglers kept washing up on the beach from other continents, Nita was happy to live here for the rest of her life.

"Hey, Nita!" A voice called.

She sighed, 'Although...' Nita raised her eyes to the sky, giving a silent request for patience.

Two young male sabres ran up from behind her. They weren't much older than her, yet they were even bigger than her brother, Jasper, and completely identical from their hazel eyes, to the tip of their tawny coloured tails.

Even after all this time, Zane and Kane could never be told apart, and Nita could swear that even they got confused at times. But as they were always seen together anyway, much like her uncles, Crash and Eddie, it didn't matter too much.

"So, Nita," one of the twins, Nita guessed to be Zane began, "has Carmen said anything about us lately?"

Nita resisted the temptation to roll her eyes with difficulty. She couldn't blame the twins for admiring her sister, but surely they realised that, as Carmen's sister, she'd do what would help _Carmen_, rather than them?

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Nita answered vaguely, and made to move on, only to find her path blocked by the hulking figure of Kane.

"C'mon, Nita, she must have said something!" He pleaded. "There are only so many sabres on this island."

"And only one sabre like her." Zane said dreamily.

Nita tried not to smile, but it was so funny seeing the large, muscular twins, with such lovesick looks on their faces.

"Did she say anything about that jump I made across the river?" Kane asked. "It was awesome! One leap!"

Nita shook her head. The twins had been trying to compete with each other over who could come up with the most impressive stunt to show Carmen, but none of it worked, and while Nita knew why, the twins had never taken the hint.

"I have a question for you guys now." Nita put forward. "What's Carmen's favourite colour?"

"Uuuuhhh." Both shot questioning glances at each other.

"Orange." Nita answered for them. "Like the sky as the sun sets."

"Of course, I knew that." Zane said unconvincingly.

"Yeah, me too." Kane quickly added, not to be outdone.

"Good." Nita continued, "Because it would be amazing that you have known Carmen for so long without knowing what she does and doesn't like." Nita hoped that not-so -subtle hint could finally get the point across.

"Yeah, yeah." Zane said, looking like he was thinking hard. "Of course."

"Of course." Kane added. "I mean," he continued for confidently. "If you want to impress a girl like Carmen, you need to know what will work and what won't, right?"

Nita sighed as she watched the twins race each other to The Rock. Apparently, she had failed, once again, to help the twins see the light.

Nita was about to continue on toward the Cove when she heard someone screaming in the distance.

"Aaaaaah!"

Nita's ears perked up. She knew that voice.

"Heeeeeelp!" Came a second cry. Pinpointing the direction, Nita ran.

All the fallen logs and rocks that littered the forest floor made it frustratingly difficult for Nita to run, as she was repeatedly required to climb over things, that she knew her family could simply bound over.

So she climbed the nearest tree and began running through the branches instead.

This was the ability that Nita was most proud of. It was the one thing that none of the other sabres on the island could do. Her Uncles Crash and Eddie had taught her to run through the trees like this, as Nita's small size allowed her to run along even the higher branches of trees and jump through the gaps between trees easily. Reaching the clearing where she heard the cry, Nita jumped down and took in the scene.

She knew she recognised that voice...

Her adoptive uncle Sid was backed up against a pile of boulders that had fallen in a rock slide last month. Facing him were two angry Rhinos.

And they looked ready to smash a sloth.

"Leave him alone!" Nita darted forward and placed herself protectively in front of her uncle.

"Nita!" Sid cried joyfully. "Thank goodness! I mean, I was hoping for Manny, or Diego or Jasper... "

Nita growled threateningly at the Rhinos, but Sid seemed to think she was growling at him.

"But you'll do!" He finished quickly.

Nita ignored her uncle's ramblings and kept her eyes focused on the two Rhinos in front of her.

They towered over her, their faces showing surprise, before they glanced at each other...

And burst out laughing.

"Oh, look who's come to the rescue." One of them jeered. "A big scary sabre!"

"Please don't eat us!" The other begged in mock terror.

Nita felt her growl growing into a snarl at the back of her throat. She knew she was small, but Nita was still a sabre. They _should_ be afraid.

Especially as they were threatening a member of her herd.

The first Rhino was laughing so hard that his large head came too close to the ground. Darting in, Nita slashed her claws along his mouth, leaving long gashes, before nimbly jumping back out of range.

The Rhino threw his head back in pain, knocking his friend off balance.

Glancing back to her uncle, Nita gestured to a nearby tree, its branches overhanging the rock pile. "Climb that tree, Uncle Sid."

"Way ta go, Tiger!" Sid cheered in encouragement as he scrambled off. Nita turned back to find the first Rhino was no longer laughing at her.

"That. Hurt." He said slowly.

"Well, that was the point." Nita tried to stall as she cast her eyes around the small clearing, but all she could see were the rocks and boulders on the ground, and the overhanging branches of the tree.

Now the Rhinos had _her_ backed up against the largest boulder.

Nita had an idea. She'd done similar things when practising her jumping (something Carmen and Jasper never had to do), but she'd never done it in a situation like this before, and hoped it would work.

"This is quite a twist, isn't it?" The second Rhino said. "Herbivores killing a carnivore."

"Yeah...I don't think that's gonna happen." Nita crouched low on her toes to prepare for the jump. Timing was everything.

"You're pretty calm for someone in your position." The first Rhino said. "After all, there are two of us, and only one of you."

"I can count." Nita said flatly before smiling. "Although, I'm surprised _you_ can."

With a bellow, both Rhinos surged forward.

Nita jumped onto the top of the boulder, and then leapt toward one of the overhanging branches. But the branch was further away than she thought. She had to scramble to get all four paws on the bark in time, and had to settle for hanging underneath the branch.

Nita felt the tree shudder as the two Rhinos crashed face first into the boulder, where she had been mere moments before.

Pulling herself up onto the branch properly, Nita laughed as dazedly, the Rhinos got back up and wondered amusingly around in a circle before both collapsed, unconscious.

"Watch out for the boulder!" She called down cheekily to the knocked out pair. She then turned to search the branches of the tree.

"Uncle Sid?"

"Oh, Nita!" Sid scrambled down from a higher branch and hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much. You were so brave!"

"That wasn't being brave, that's just what you do in a herd." Nita said. "You look out for each other."

Apparently, Sid had been foraging for berries when he somehow caused a tree branch to fall on the Rhinos' heads.

Leaving Sid to continue his forage for fruit "'Cause all the running from the rhinos worked up my appetite", Nita continued to run through the forest.

Eventually, Nita made it to a cliff overlooking Switchback Cove. Her mother had told her that this was where she, Manny, Sid and her dad had camped after escaping from pirates. It was also where many of the local hyrax lived, and Nita noticed many ears and eyes poking from the branches of the overhanging trees.

Ignoring the eternally curious eyes, Nita began to jump from boulder to boulder, practicing her precision as she made her way down the cliff to the shore line.

Their herd members made regular visits to the shore now, as stragglers from other areas washed up on the island, like Sasha and the twins had, after their own areas were destroyed by the shifting ground.

Landing on the sand, Nita took in the sight of Switchback Cove. The current arched by gracefully, carrying shells and seaweed along with driftwood and the odd small chunk of ice-burg. This was where most people washed ashore.

Nita broke into a light jog and moved closer to the tide line, enjoying the ocean spray on her face.

She breathed in, relishing the scent of clean, salt air.

Wait. She sniffed again, more carefully. She could smell something else…

Following the scent on the breeze, Nita ran along the tide line, scanning, trying to locate the source of the scent.

Sometime later, Nita spotted a dark shape ahead, just above the tide line.

Rushing forward, Nita came across a young sabre, washed up on the beach. Seaweed and sand covered his fur, which was an unusual shade of inky black.

Nita was frozen. This was the first time a sabre had washed ashore since Sasha and her brothers.

Nita examined the black sabre, who wasn't much older than herself.

Was he alive? Nita put her ears close to his head, listening for a breath, but it was difficult to tell with the sea breeze.

"Hello," Nita said quietly. "Can you hear me?"

The sabre didn't move.

Gently, Nita nudged the black sabre with her head.

"Wake up." She said, hopefully. "You're safe now,"

Still no response.

Nita felt worried now. He couldn't be dead. This was the first sabre she'd found!

Nita nudged the sabre again, rolling him onto his back.

"Wake up." Nita said. "You're safe, you made it to land."

Using her paw this time, she pushed his chest, trying to get a response.

"Come on, breathe." She told him, pushing his chest again.

As the black sabre still didn't move, Nita felt tears sting her eyes and she tried to hold them back.

Their family, Sasha and the twins were the only sabres on the island, yet there were hundreds of herbivores, and Nita did not want to see the only sabre she'd found simply wash away with the next tide.

She pushed on the sabres chest again. "Breathe." She commanded.

Still nothing. Nita felt anger bubbling beneath her tears.

"Wake up!" She slammed both paws into his chest.

The black sabre suddenly jerked, coughing and throwing up seawater.

Nita laughed with relief. He was alive!

"That's it, cough it all up." She encouraged as the sabre continued to spit out saltwater and sand.

"What were you thinking, trying to drink the whole ocean?"

Breathing heavily, the black sabre squinted up at her, exhausted. "Seemed like a good idea, after I ran out of air." He croaked.

Nita smiled. This sabre had been drowned and still had a sense of humour. "My name's Nita." She introduced herself.

"Marco." The black sabre replied, wincing on his sore throat.

Nita realised that she had to get some fresh water in him, fast.

"Can you stand up, Marco?" She asked. "We need you get you some fresh water."

Shaking with exhaustion, Marco slowly struggled to his feet. Quickly, Nita put her shoulder against his, and he leaned on it, gratefully.

"There's a river not far from here, you can drink and rest."

Slowly, Nita help Marco to another area of the beach where a small river ran out of the forest edge.

Marco collapsed on the river bank, gulping mouthfuls of the fresh water.

Thirst sated, he began rolling on the grass at the forest edge, cleaning off the sand and grit before joining Nita under a tree.

"Thanks for finding me, Nita." He said. Marco's voice had regained its strength, and while he was still clearly tired, like a typical male sabre, he was now trying not to show it.

"You're welcome." She smiled.

Marco gazed out in the direction of the ocean for a moment, before jumping to his feet.

"My pack!" he cried out, turning toward Nita. "Did they wash up too? What happened to them?"

Nita shook her head. "I'm sorry, Marco, you're the only one I found."

Seeing the shock in the black sabre's gold eyes, Nita quickly added "but they could have washed up further along the beach."

Turning immediately, Marco ran back toward the shoreline. Nita close behind.

"Marco wait!" She called out, as he stumbled to a halt. "You haven't recovered yet, you can't just go racing off."

"I'm fine." He growled stubbornly.

But Nita could be stubborn too. "No, you're not." She told him firmly. "You need to rest. I'll take you back to my family, and we can send out a search party for the rest of your pack."

Marco looked away and along the coastline.

"You're probably the first one here." Nita continued, gently steering Marco back towards the forest. "If we head back to my family, we can have lots of people out looking for your pack, but if we stay here, it's only the two of us. We're more likely to find them with more people searching."

Reluctantly, Marco agreed and allowed Nita to lead him along the river bank.

They needed to take regular breaks, as Marco still hadn't fully recovered from drowning, and his throat was still parched from the sea salt. But, as they walked, he got a little stronger, and was able to tell Nita what happened.

"We were hunting through the jungle, when we felt this huge earthquake." Marco began. "The ground split in half, right in front of us, cutting us off. Then the wave came."

Marco stopped walking and closed his eyes against the memory. Nita could see him reliving the moment as fear rippled across his face.

"All I can remember was swirling water, my sister screaming, and our pack leader yelling, ordering us to stay together and get to high ground."

Marco opened his eyes, but he seemed oblivious to the forest around him.

"The last thing I remember was seeing my sister struggling in the water. We were trying to reach each other when something hit me from behind. Everything went black."

Slowly, Marco turned his gaze to Nita. "And that was it, until you found me."

Nita realised her mouth was open and quickly closed it. "Wow." She breathed. "That wave sounds terrifying."

"Well, I was more concerned about my sister than myself." He shrugged.

Holding back a smile, Nita continued walking. "You sound like my brother, Jasper." She told him.

"So, what's your pack like?" Marco asked, coming up alongside her.

Nita shook her head. "I'm not part of a pack." She explained. "I'm part of a herd."

"What?" Marco looked caught Nita's eye, confusion written on his face. "What do you mean, a herd?"

"Well," Nita began. "There aren't just sabres. We have mammoths, two sloths, and two possums included in our family."

This time, Marco was the one who had his mouth open.

"You live with mammoths?" He asked. "Do you have any idea how much meat you could get?"

"No!" Nita stood directly in front of the black sabre, and stared straight up into his eyes, green matching gold.

"We never hunt mammoths," she told him. "This is an island, we have rules. And if you are going to live here, with your pack later on, you need to follow those rules. We don't hunt mammoths, sloths, possums, mole-hogs or hyraxes. Everything else is fair game."

Marco shook his head in disbelief, apparently speechless with shock.

Wordlessly, Nita turned to continue.

After a few minutes, Nita realised they were getting close to home.

"We're nearly there." Nita told her travelling companion, and was surprised when he began to tense up, moving forward in a stalker's crouch.

"What are you doing?" Nita asked.

"Well, I doubt your 'herd' is going to like a strange sabre turning up," Marco whispered. "They might think I'm a threat, I have to be on my guard."

Nita shook her head. "Is that what a pack does?" Nita asked curiously, causing Marco to look at her in surprise.

Giggling again at the surprised look on his face, Nits nudged him forward. "Don't worry, you'll be welcomed." She assured him "We find stragglers washed up often, but you're the first sabre in a long time."

Nita stepped forward, only to hear an 'ow!' from behind her. Looking back, Nita saw that a small nut had fallen on Marco's head. Examining the nut, however, she knew that the tree it belonged to did not grow in this part if the island.

That meant only one thing…

"Uncle Crash! Uncle Eddie!" She called. "Is that anyway to welcome a newcomer?"

"Absolutely!" Crash said, popping up from a nearby bush. "Someone has to teach the new cat the rules."

"And possums rule!" Eddie added, jumping up to stand on his brother's head.

"Possums on a stick." Marco growled. "Perfect. I'm starving." He crouched, ready to pounce.

Nita quickly stepped forward before either of her Uncles could invite a challenge.

"Remember Marco, we don't kill possums here." She told the new sabre before turning back to her Uncles. "Can you tell the others that we're coming, please?"

"Sure." Crash said, loosing off one more nut with his reed blowpipe before disappearing, Eddie darting after him.

Diego and Shira were catching a drink at the local pond, when Crash and Eddie suddenly appeared, hanging upside down from a branch above their heads. Shira started in surprise.

"Did we scare you, Kitty?" Crash asked with a cheeky grin.

Shira swiped at them nonchalantly with her paw, knocking them to the ground. Pinning them down by their tails, she brought her face inches from theirs. Crash whimpered and pushed Eddie in front of him.

"Call me Kitty again," Shira whispered, "and I'll have you as an appetiser."

"Easy, Kitty" Diego said, "They're family, remember?"

Shira appeared to consider this for a moment before letting the possums up with a smile.

"Hey!" Eddie objected, pointing at Diego. "He called you Kitty, but you didn't attack him!"

"He earned that right when he became my mate." Shira explained shortly. "Now, what do you want?"

Both possums snapped into a quick salute. "Reporting an incoming mammal of the sabre tooth nature, Ma'am!" They said in perfect unison.

"Ma'am?" Shira commented. "I think I preferred Kitty."

"A new sabre?" Diego asked. "Should we be worried?"

"Definitely!" Eddie interjected. "He tried to eat us!"

"All the sabres on this island have threatened to do that at some point." Diego reminded them.

"If he's from a pack, we might need to be worried." Shira thought out loud.

"Hey," Diego assured her. "We were both able to adapt to life in a herd. I'm sure we can teach this new sabre as well."

"Guess we'll find out once Nita brings him in." Crash said.

"Wait. Nita's bringing him here?" Diego asked.

"Yeah, she found him washed up at Switchback Cove." Eddie explained.

Suddenly, Diego had a thought. "How old is the new sabre?"

"I dunno," Eddie said, scratching his head. "About the same age as the twins?" Losing interest in the conversation, he and Crash scampered off in search of the others.

"Maybe I should be worried." Diego muttered once the possum brothers were gone.

"What?" Shira laughed, "You've never been worried about Zane or Kane."

"The twins were never really an issue." Diego explained. "Carmen can take care of herself."

Shira raised her eyebrows. "And you don't think Nita can?"

Diego shook his head. "That's not what I mean."

"Good to know." Shira said, nuzzling her mate in reassurance. "But don't you think we should at least _see _this new guy before you turn into 'Alpha dad'?"

Diego sighed. Shira was right, No point getting defensive for no reason. "You're right."

"Of course I am." Shira said confidently.

"Okay," Marco said to Nita as she trotted ahead of him, leading the way. "So your father's a tracker, your mother's a runner, your sister's a fighter and your brother's the protector." He summed up. "So what do _you_ do?"

"Me?" Nita asked, pausing on a tree root. They were nearly at the training area, the forest beginning to thin and turn to rocky ground.

"I'm a climber." She said after a moment's thought. "I'm the only sabre on the island who can run through the branches of the trees."

Marco raised his eyebrows. "That's impressive." He commented.

Nita looked at the black sabre over her shoulder. "Really?"

"Yeah," Marco nodded. "I mean, I know sabres can climb, but I've never heard of any sabre being able to actually run _through_ the trees. "

Nita smiled. "Thanks."

The two young sabres emerged from the forest into the sabres' training area. This boulder strewn clearing was where the sabres practice their fighting, tracking and hunting skills, and Nita knew it would be the most likely place she'd find her family.

And they were in luck. Jasper and Sasha were having a sparring match, watched by Carmen and the twins, who were acting as coaches, calling out advice from the sidelines.

"You've got her on the back foot now, Jas!" Kane called out. "Keep charging! Drive her back!"

"Sidestep, Sasha!" Carmen shouted.

Sasha darted to the side, causing Jasper, in full charge, to overbalance and fall forward. Sasha pounced on his back. Gently she opened her mouth and pressed her sabre teeth against Jasper's neck.

"I win." She whispered.

"You're a fierce predator, you know that?" Jasper told her affectionately.

Laughing, Sasha let him up. Jasper turned, annoyed, to his 'coach'.

"Drive her back?" He asked Kane. "That was a great idea!"

"Hey, you were the one who didn't control your charge!" Kane defended.

"You guys are such sore losers!" Carmen said smugly as she gave Sasha a high five. "Honestly, it's pathetic."

"Pathetic?" Jasper challenged, and began stalking his sister. "You wanna back up that insult, sis?"

"Oh, my dear brother," Carmen teased "I already know you're pathetic, I don't need to back it up."

Laughing, Jasper crouched, preparing to pounce. Carmen mirrored him, smiling.

"This is my family." Nita turned to Marco, who was staring. It wasn't like he had never sabres practice fighting before, it was a favourite past time in his pack. But he was surprised at the...lightness, of it all. With his pack, the only laughter you heard was when someone lost.

Sasha looked up from the new match, spotting Nita, accompanied by a young black sabre.

"Hey Nita!" She called out, bounding past the sparring siblings. "Come join in! Who's your friend?"

"This is Marco, he just washed up on shore." Nita introduced. "Marco, this is my friend Sasha. She and her brothers came to the island on an ice flow when they were little."

Marco was guarded. He still didn't know what to expect from these sabres who lived with mammoths and possums.

"Hey, new guy!" A voice called out.

Jasper and Carmen had abandoned their match.

Jasper came over. "Awesome!" He cheered. "I'm Jasper." He introduced himself. "Fancy a sparring match? It'll be good to have a new challenge." He grinned. "You spar the same people too often and it gets boring."

"Oh please, I was kicking your tail." Carmen said smoothly, her hazel eyes studying this new, black sabre. Marco raised his head proudly, meeting the eyes of the other teenage sabres around him. He was new, but an equal.

"I wanna spar the new guy first!" Zane came forward to join in the group.

"No way!" Kane had to jump in too. "I'm stronger, I should test him first."

"He just washed up on shore." Nita said firmly. "We need to look for his pack."

"That's taken care of." A voice said.

Turning, the kids saw Diego watching calmly from atop a nearby boulder, Shira at his side.

"Dad!" Nita greeted happily.

"Crash and Eddie told us what happened, and Manny and Ellie have gone to the Cove to search for the rest of his pack." Diego explained as he came forward, eyes on the black sabre. "We're going to send a couple of our herd there regularly to see if they turn up."

"Thank you." Marco said cautiously. This sabre was obviously the leader, and he knew he should tread carefully.

"Now," Shira continued "the question is whether you are willing to join us here on the island."

"I told him the hunting rules." Nita put in quickly. "He'll follow them, won't you, Marco?"

Marco lowered his eyes respectfully as Diego's gaze turned his way.

"Of course."

'He _is_ from a pack.' Diego realised, recognising the etiquette. 'But not high in rank.' This could be a good thing, Diego considered, as he may adapt easier to herd life.

"Now." Diego stepped forward confidently. "How about we see what this new guy can do?" He challenged.

"Dad," Nita objected, "Marco just washed up on shore today, half drowned, he can't-"

"Yes I can." Marco interjected, shooting a look at Nita. He was determined to show this older sabre his worth.

"Alright, kid, step into the ring." Diego strode into the centre of the clearing as Shira led the kids to the sidelines, leaving Marco and Diego squaring off on the hard ground.

Diego may now be part of a herd, but he remembered what pack life was like. He knew how this young sabre had grown up, never being able to fully relax, always sleeping with one eye open, for fear of someone else attacking him in the night.

He also knew that the way pack sabres measured each other was through hunting, tracking and fighting. So Diego knew the best way to learn about this new sabre, and how he'd adapt as part of the herd, would be to see how he fought in a training session.

Marco began to circle Diego, searching for a weak point. The older sabre kept his eyes on the newcomer, waiting.

Marco lunged, only to find himself pinned to the ground.

"Never pounce first." Diego advised. "You lose your ability to defend yourself when your opponent is ready for you."

Marco jumped to his feet before attacking again.

Marco may have been younger than Diego, but the tawny sabre had experience on his side. Marco tried sidestepping, bluffing, charging, but the older sabre could read his every move, blocking, dodging and cuffing the younger one to illustrate an error.

"You're weakest just as you finish attacking" Diego pointed out. "As you regroup, your opponent can get the upper hand. Always be on your guard."

Eventually, Diego called a halt to the match. He'd seen the black sabre respond well to the lesson, getting frustrated at first, but learning quickly and adapting his technique to Diego's teachings.

"Good job." Diego congratulated. "You're fast, and you're adaptable. You should do well here."

"Thank you." Marco nodded.

"Okay, my turn!" Nita darted forward. 'Who wants to spar me?"

"I will!" Jasper stepped forward, as Marco and Diego backed off to give them room.

"Awesome!" Nita loved sparring her brother. "Let's go!"

Shira watched Nita's match thoughtfully. Everybody commented on how much Carmen was like her mother, and while Carmen did indeed look much like her, Shira could actually see more of herself in her smallest daughter.

For she too, had spent her life trying to prove herself, until she felt she needed to leave, joining Gutt's band of pirates as a result.

Shira didn't want her daughter to make the same mistake.

When Carmen's turn in the training ring came, Shira went over to where Nita was resting and lay down next to her.

"You did really well, sweetheart." Shira told her.

Nita avoided her eyes. "Thanks, but I don't feel like I did," She answered. "Jas kept on hitting me, I could barely touch him."

Shira turned her gaze towards her other two cubs, who were sparring each other well. Each was using their own talent, Jasper, his strength, and Carmen, her speed, to try and out do the other. It was a pretty even match

"You're a climber." Shira told Nita surely. "You're agile. You're actually very hard to catch, but your weakness." Shira turned her head to meet her daughter's bright green eyes, "is in your desire to prove yourself."

Nita frowned in confusion. "I had always thought my determination was a _good_ thing." She said.

"It can be." Her mother granted. "But if you focus more on trying to get your opponent then defending yourself, you end up leaving yourself open to attack. That's why Jasper kept on hitting you, despite your agility. You were so focused on getting close to hit him that you forgot about your own safety."

Nita looked down, processing this new way of viewing her fighting skills.

Shira took a breath. "And it works in all areas, not just sparring."

Nita paused in her train of thought, tilting her head slightly to view her mother out of the corner of her eye.

"I heard from Peaches about what happened this morning." Shira said gently.

Nita turned away, gritting her teeth.

"I have a question for you, Nita." Shira stated. "Why do you care so much about what other people think?"

Nita's shoulders tensed, and she was silent. But Shira knew that all she had to do was wait.

"Because I'm a sabre." Nita began after a minute's thought. "We're predators. Other animals _should_ be afraid of me. They're afraid of Jasper and Carmen, and you and dad."

"They only time they're afraid is when we're hunting." Shira replied. "Other times it's not fear. It's respect."

"They're scared." Nita was sure of her point. She had seen those herbivores run from her brother and sister.

"Our herd isn't afraid of us." Shira put forward.

"But they're family." Nita said confidently. "That's different."

"They still respect the fact that we're carnivores." Shira replied. "Even though we do have to remind them at times," she added, thinking of Crash, Eddie and Sid.

Nita looked confused. "What are you trying to say?"

"That gaining respect through fear is not really respect." Shira answered. "That's how a pack works. It's how a pirate works. It's the idea that if you don't prove your worth, you're not worth keeping."

Shira met her daughter's eyes once more. "It's not how a _herd _works. We are _all_ worth it, and we _all_ look out for each other."

"Hey Shira!" Zane called out. "Come on, I haven't fought you for a while!" He challenged.

Smiling, Shira got to her feet before looking at Nita again.

"Please think about what I said sweetheart. See your skills, see your worth, and don't leave yourself open to attack because you're trying too hard."


	3. Chapter 3: Sally and Daisy

Chapter 3: Sally and Daisy

_Author's note: Some may have noticed that I've updated chapter 1 and 2 slightly- I hope they're now easier to read and that I corrected all the spelling mistakes! So, here's chapter number 3. I thought I'd introduce Sally and Daisy to the story, as I thought we needed more sloths in this thing. Also, knowing that Jennifer Lopez was the voice for Shira inspired the party scene- please no flames for the lyrics! Hope you enjoy it, and chapter 4 should be coming soon._

After a few more sparring matches in the training area, Marco's stomach began to grumble loudly. "I think it's time you had something to eat." Carmen commented smiling as Marco tried to avoid her gaze.

"You kids go ahead." Diego gestured toward the forest. "Good luck."

"You mean, we can hunt on our own?" Jasper was excited. This morning was their first family hunting trip, and already, they were allowed to hunt on their own!

"I'm sure, between the seven of you, you can catch a decent meal." Diego nodded. "Let's see how well you work together as a team."

"We'll be hunting later on in the day, so if anyone is still hungry, they can come with us." Shira added.

"Awesome!" Zane cheered. "Let's go!"

"But no possums, right?" Marco asked.

"Or sloths." Nita added.

"Just don't eat your Uncle Sid or Granny!" Diego warned after them as the young sabres ran enthusiastically into the forest, following the trail which Nita had Marco had travelled from the beach to the training area.

After running with excitement for a few minutes, the kids slowly calmed down and began to hunt in earnest.

Carmen sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent of prey on the cool breeze.

Nita took to the trees, thinking that a higher view would help spot a likely target.

Jasper kept his eyes on the forest floor, scanning for the signs that his father had taught him to look for. Paw prints, tufts of fur, even bruised or flattened leaves could tell him if an animal had passed this way recently. However, this was the first time he'd tried tracking without his father's experienced eye, and Jasper realised that this hunting trip was going to be harder than they'd first thought.

Marco, on the other hand was moving silently through the trees like an expert. Being one of the lower sabres in his pack meant that he rarely got a decent meal. As a result, he'd taken to hunting on his own when he was able to get away from the others for a while.

Marco paused to examine a tree trunk. "Yes!" He hissed in triumph as he sniffed the air.

"What is it?" Kane asked, sniffing. The other sabres copied the action, but none could identify any of their usual prey on the breeze.

Up in a tree, Nita scanned the area, looking for what had caught the attention of their new herd member. A rustling berry bush caught her eye, and Nita got a glimpse of a berry-stained paw.

"Uh-oh." Nita jumped down. "Marco don't!"

Too late. With a growl, the black sabre pounced through a gap in the trees.

"Aaaaaah!"

Nita and the others quickly followed. Marco had two sloths cornered against a large tree trunk, a boulder and a thorny blackberry bush preventing their escape.

"Marco!" Nita admonished the black sabre. "What did I say about _not_ hunting sloths?"

"Diego said your sloths were your 'Uncle Sid and Granny'. But these sloths aren't from the Island." Marco replied innocently. 'So I thought it was okay."

Nita turned to view the two cornered sloths. Marco was right. Nita had never seen these two before.

The older female sloth was holding tightly to a small girl-sloth who crouched fearfully behind her.

"Are you two alright?" Stepping forward slowly, Nita tried to calm the terrified pair. "Sorry, we have a rule against hunting sloths on the Island, but Marco's new too, so he's still learning."

The adult sloth relaxed slightly, but did not take her eyes off Marco. The little sloth, however, poked her head out from behind the older female's back.

"You're not gonna eat us?" The small sloth asked in a tiny voice.

"No, we're not." Nita reassured gently before looking over at Marco. "Are we?"

Marco's incredulous expression disappeared as he slumped his shoulders. "No." He agreed. "Guess I'm going hungry tonight." He muttered under his breath.

"There are lots of other animals on this island we can hunt." Carmen assured him "Don't worry, we'll find something."

Turning back to the two sloths, Nita gave a small smile. "My name's Nita." She introduced herself.

"Sally." The adult sloth said as she cautiously shuffled forward, keeping a wary eye on Marco. "This is my daughter, Daisy." Daisy shyly waved hello from behind her mother's back.

Now the two sloths were out of the shadows of the trees, Nita could finally get a good look at them.

Sally had fur the colour of dark honey, and curly brown hair which, while kept short, still managed to keep falling into her eyes.

Daisy's fur was a slightly lighter shade of her mother's, yet her wavy brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, kept in place by a band made with her signature flowers, daisies. Her paws, Nita noticed were still stained purple from the berries they had just been picking.

Noticing how Sally kept on eyeing Marco fearfully, Nita thought it best he left the scene. Especially when he was as hungry as he was.

"Uh, Carmen, why don't you and the guys take Marco out to finish his hunt?" Nita suggested. "I'll take Sally and Daisy to meet the herd."

"No problem, Sis." Carmen said, leading the group off.

"Yeah, we'll be able to cover more ground now anyway." Zane smirked at Nita, "now we don't have to wait for you to catch up."

Jasper gave him a cuff around the head to accompany Carmen, Sasha and Nita's glares.

Marco seemed hesitant to leave. "What about you?" he asked. "Aren't you hungry?"

"I'll go hunting with mum and dad later." Nita told him. "I'll be fine. Go get some food in you."

His hunger winning over his concern, Marco nodded before wandering after the others.

"We'll bring you back something, Nita!" Jasper called over his shoulder as he ran off.

Nita watched the others leave for a moment before turning back to the newcomers.

"Come on." She said gently. "I'll take you back to our herd. We have a couple of sloths as part of our family, so you should fit right in."

"Granny!" Sid called as he searched around their home tree. "Where are you?"

"Ow! Ouch! Aaah!"

Crash and Eddie emerged from a bush, pursued by an old female sloth, who was hitting them with a stick.

"You smart-mouth rodents!" Granny scolded them. "Can't a lady sleep in peace?"

"Granny!" Sid cried out in relief.

Crash and Eddie retreated to the safety of their sister's shadow. "Save us from the evil old lady, Ellie." Crash whimpered, hugging her leg tightly.

"What was that, rat?" Granny asked, waving her stick.

Sid stepped in quickly. "It's okay, Granny," he said soothingly. "Come have some fruit I just picked for you."

Sighing slightly as Sid led his Granny away, Diego noticed something move out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw Nita enter the scene, accompanied by two sloths.

"Hi guys!" Nita bounded forward. "I'd like you to met Sally and Daisy. They just arrived on the island."

"Hi there!" Ellie said, warmly, waving her trunk in greeting.

As introductions were done, Nita explained how they found the two sloths.

"It was lucky we didn't send Marco hunting on his own, then." Diego commented once Nita had finished.

"Oh, yes, I'm _very_ thankful for that." Sally added. "If Nita hadn't been there that other sabre would have eaten us for dinner."

"Thank you, Nita, for saving us from being eaten." Daisy said politely.

"You're welcome." Nita chuckled. "That's what you do in herd."

At that moment, Sid reappeared, Granny at his side, messily slurping up berry pulp. Sighting Sally and Daisy, he paused.

"New neighbours?" Sid asked.

"New herd members." Ellie corrected. "Sid, Granny, this is Sally and her daughter Daisy."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Sally greeted as Daisy waved.

"You know, that's a nice girl." Granny said before poking Sid with her stick. "When're you gonna settle down, Sidney?"

"Well, Nita are you hungry?" Shira asked her daughter as Sid stammered a reply to his Granny.

"Starving." Nita replied quickly

"Let's go find some food."

The three sabres headed into the forest to hunt down something to eat.

Carmen and the others had travelled deeper into the forest, searching for suitable prey.

She had put forward her idea to Jasper, who agreed whole-heartedly, and they both led their mini pack of teen sabres to the planned hunting area.

"So let me get this straight." Marco whispered from Carmen's shoulder. "The family of Mammoths in your herd is half _possum_?"

"Yep" Carmen whispered back. "Auntie Ellie was raised by possums, so she and her daughter Peaches often hang from their tails when they sleep."

Marco shook his head. This was certainly the weirdest family he'd ever heard of.

"And that's why we can't eat possums of any kind?" He continued.

"Right." Carmen answered. "A herd is a family. And we protect our family."

Marco paused. Noticing he had dropped back, Carmen looked over her shoulder at the black sabre.

"What is it?" She asked.

A smile tugged at the corners of Marco's mouth as he gazed at the white sabre. "Family means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Of course." Carmen answered.

"That's nice." Marco's smile crept slowly across his face. "I think I'm gonna like living here." He said softly.

Though his eyes stayed focused ahead, Jasper's ear turned back toward the black sabre, curious at his tone of voice.

"So, what can we eat?" Marco asked as they continued on up a small hill.

"Well, our family caught an antelope this morning." Jasper answered, joining in the conversation.

"The three of us took down a gazelle on our own." Zane interjected, always trying out-do the others.

"It was a _fawn_." Sasha added, exasperated at her brother's constant need to compete.

Eventually, they crested a hill, and a large herd unfolded before them.

"But moose-deer," Carmen finished smugly, "is also on the menu."

Sally and Daisy watched curiously as Sid gathered wood, twigs and dried grass. Manny thought it was the most energetic Sid had been all day.

"What are you doing?" Sally asked.

"Making fire." Sid announced loftily, striking two rocks together. Sparks shot out. One went straight into Sid's face.

"Aah!" He yelped, rubbing his eye in pain.

"Ah, the Lord of the Flame strikes again." Manny muttered. Ellie shoved him lightly with her trunk.

Looking down, Sid saw Daisy helpfully holding out the rock he dropped, her brown eyes gazing shyly from under her long lashes.

"Thanks." Sid said, gently taking the rock back.

"You can make fire?"

Sid looked over to Sally and saw an unusual expression in her face. Respect.

"Why yes!" Sid answered importantly. "Yes, I can! Look, I'll show you."

Sid was extra careful as he struck the rocks close to the pile of dried grass and sticks he's made. Sparks flew, scattering themselves over the pile of tinder. Tiny flames caused the grass to shrivel and darken in the heat, and slowly the flames began to lick the wood.

"Oohh." Sally gazed in wonder at the flickering light as Daisy applauded. "I've only ever heard of humans being able to light fires."

"Well, I may not be a human." Sid said smugly. 'But, I'm no ordinary sloth, either."

"You got that right, lazy bones." Granny said, poking him with her stick as she passed.

Daisy crept closer, stretching a curious paw towards the magical, red and gold light.

"Daisy, don't!" Sally pulled her daughter away from the fire. "You'll burn yourself."

The little sloth looked beseechingly up at her mother. "But it's so pretty."

"Now, Daisy, you should listen to your mother." Sid instructed. "Fire safety is very important."

"You should know." Manny muttered, earning another shove from Ellie.

Looking around, Sid picked up a stray stick and drew a circle around the blaze. "There." He said. "Just keep your paws and claws behind the circle and you'll be fine."

Smiling, Daisy edged as close to the line as she could before sitting, gazing with wonder at the dancing flames.

Smiling at the awed look on her daughter's face, Sally turned to Sid. "Wow." She said. "It's been a while since I've seen her so content."

"Oh, it's no problem." Sid said casually. "I'm great with kids."

Manny began coughing suspiciously and Ellie had to shove him with her trunk again.

"Don't you say a word." She warned him.

Manny took a little while to recover from his 'coughing fit'. "I don't believe it." He admitted, shaking his head in bewilderment. "I think she actually likes him."

"Well, what's wrong with that?" Peaches asked. "You called Sid a hero yourself, dad."

"I think it's about time." Ellie added softly. "Sid's heart is always in the right place."

All the herd gathered together in the clearing as the sun began to set.

Marco looked around at all the animals surrounding the huge bonfire in the clearing. Sabres, mammoths, sloths, and all manner of other animals mingled together. Marco had never seen anything like it in his life.

"So," Nita began as she sat next him," How are you finding herd life so far?"

A smile pulled at a corner of his mouth as the black sabre gazed out across the clearing.

"It's...definitely different." He commented. "But, in a good way."

Shira smiled knowingly at her smallest daughter. She could tell Nita was fascinated by this new, exotic black sabre.

So could Diego. "Are you sure I shouldn't be worried?" He asked Shira. Before finding his mate, Diego had always been a proud bachelor. And while he was now a proud father, he was still unsure of how to handle his daughters at times, and he needed Shira's help to know what to do. His son was easier to understand.

"I'm sure." Shira said, reassuring her mate. "Nita needs to stand on her own feet sometimes, too. If you get overprotective, she'll either rebel, or be too scared to do anything."

"But-"

"No buts, Alpha dad." Shira said firmly. "You can't protect Nita forever. Let her learn to handle things herself. If she does need our help, we will, but until then, try to stay out of it."

Diego lowered his eyes. It was his job to protect his family, and he couldn't understand why his mate would ask him to go against his instincts like this.

Shira nuzzled him. "It's okay, Diego." She said her voice soft and soothing. "Our cubs will always have us to ask for help if they need it, but they need to know that they can do things on their own too."

Diego nodded slowly, reluctantly. "Right." He said.

"Come on, this is a time to celebrate." Shira encouraged. "Our kids are learning how to hunt for themselves, we have a new sabre and two new sloths in our herd. Life is pretty good right now."

Diego nodded again, this time he was smiling. He was proud of the progress his cubs had made.

"Yeah, you're right again." Diego said. "I am proud of them."

Shira smiled. "Definitely worth celebrating."

The full moon shone brightly, lighting up the clearing as Shira stood atop a pile of boulders, watching the kids around the fire.  
"_It's a new generation_" she began "..._of party people_."

"Oh! Mum's gonna sing!" Nita called out. "Come on everybody!"

All the young animals in the clearing got gleefully to their feet, except Marco, who had no idea what was going on.  
"Get on the floor, dance." Jasper encouraged, getting reluctant people on their feet. "Get on the floor. "  
"_Let me introduce you to my party people in the herd_" Shira sang as the hyraxes beat a fast rhythm on some hollow logs.  
"Come on, Marco!" Nita nudged the new guy forward, but he backed off quickly.

"No way, I do not dance." He said stubbornly.

"Oh, come on." Carmen said as she danced past. "Show us your footwork!"

"Is this a herd thing?" Marco asked, unsure. "I'm not doing it."

"Okay." Nita didn't want to force him to join in if he didn't want to. "But feel free to join in whenever you want." She stepped up next to Sasha and began dancing to her mother's beautiful voice.

_"If you go hard you gotta make sure you roar_

_ If you're a predator, then step up and roar_

_ If you're an animal then tear it up and roar _

_Break a sweat when you roar, yeah lets work up a roar" _

All the animals in the herd were dancing. Ellie dragged a reluctant Manny forward, Peaches and her friends were dancing in a group, Crash and Eddie were doing some crazy moves of their own, Sid was dancing with Sally, Daisy riding on his shoulders, while Diego, who wasn't much of a dancer, stayed close to Shira as she sang and danced around him.

_"Don't stop, keep it moving put your paws up _

_Pick your body up and drop it with a roar _

_Let the rush change your world, make you roar_

_You know we're running hard tonight, now roar_"

The drumming of the hyrax and Shira's voice seemed to fill up the whole clearing.  
Nita looked over to where Carmen was dancing, both Kane and Zane around her vying for her attention. Nita thought she'd help her sister out.

"Carmen, up here!" she called, jumping on a boulder, just below where her mother was singing, leaving Jasper and Sasha dancing together.

Carmen jumped up and they began dancing together, circling each other on the boulder, Carmen's slower, graceful moves complimenting Nita's more energetic footwork.

"_Dance the night away Live your life and stay young in your roar _

_Dance the night away Grab somebody, eat a little more  
Tonight we gon' feel it in our roar _

_Tonight we gon' feel it in our roar_ "

The twins were now right below them, leaping and spinning, trying to out dance each other.

Nita also noticed that Marco was watching her and Carmen, too. Slowly, he stood up and tentatively began to join in.

Marco was dancing!

_"I know you got it, sabres lets hear you roar _

_And keep on rockin', rock it up on the floor _

_If you're a predator, kill it with a roar_

_ Steal it quick and then roar, and then roar"_

"That's it, Marco!" Nita congratulated, jumping down from the boulder. "You've got it!"

Marco paused, embarrassed. "I've never done this before." He admitted.

"Just relax and let the rhythm carry you." Carmen encouraged, jumping down as well.

_"Don't stop keep it moving, put your paws up _

_It's never dull, it's getting sharp with our roar _

_We never quit, we never rest when we roar _

_If I ain't wrong we'll probably die with a roar_"

Nita found herself dancing with Peaches and Luis. Looking up, she noticed that Marco had stopped dancing.

He was watching Carmen instead.

"_Dance the night away Live your life and stay young in your roar"_

Nita stumbled to a stop. She couldn't believe it. Carmen had both Kane and Zane at her beck and call, and now Marco had become her_ third_ admirer?

Nita felt her chest tighten, but didn't understand why this realization hurt so much. She should be used to it by now.

'I guess I'm just invisible, next to Carmen' she thought.

_ "Dance the night away Grab somebody, eat a little more" _

"Nita? You okay?" Peaches asked, concerned.

_"Tonight we gon' feel it in our roar _

_Tonight we gon' feel it in our roar_ "

"Yeah, just thirsty from dancing." Nita said quickly. "I'm gonna go down to the pond."

She turned and ran out of the clearing before Peaches could comment, her mother's voice fading as she got further away.

"_Tonight we gon' feel it in our roar_

_Tonight we gon' feel it in our roar_

_Tonight we gon' feel it in our roar_"

The sound of drums and singing faded as Nita ran to the nearby pond, the full moon reflecting silver light on the clear, still water.

Nita walked over to the edge of the pond and stared at her reflection critically. She knew that her sister was beautiful, and that she couldn't help being good at everything she did. And if Carmen had been arrogant or bragging about it, it would've been easier to resent her sister, but no, Carmen was genuinely nice, for a fierce sabre-tooth cat.

I wasn't Carmen's fault she was wonderful, she just was. And Nita knew she couldn't hate anyone who liked her as a result.

Nita looked at her reflection again. "So what's wrong with me?" She asked herself, feeling her chest tighten again.

Nita looked closer at her reflection, considering. "I don't think it's about how I look." She said thoughtfully. "I mean, I'm always hearing Zane and Kane go over how beautiful Carmen's fur is, but what's wrong with my fur?" She asked, examining her pale, champagne coloured coat.

"I have beautiful fur." Nita was sure of that. "It's the same colour as the soft sand on the beach. None of the other sabres has fur like mine."

Nita turned her head so she could see her profile in the still water. "Okay, my sabre-teeth are small, but I'm the runt in the family, everything about me is small." After all, she was far smaller than her sister, and they were the same age. "Even my voice is small, I can't even roar." She mumbled. Her family and the rest of the herd was used to her quiet, cub-like voice, but strangers usually thought that she was, at best, far younger than she was, and at worst, asking concernedly if she was sick. "But," she sighed, "there's nothing I can do about that."

Gazing into the water again, Nita smiled. "My eyes are my favourite." No one else in her family had such brilliant green eyes, though her mother's were bright blue. Carmen, however, had the usual hazel eyes, like their father's.

She stood up. "Okay. So I don't think it has anything to do with how I look, so... It must be something to do with how I act?"

Nita's brow furrowed slightly as she considered this different angle. "Well, Carmen is definitely more confident than me. She always has a witty comment to make, and in a fight, she's always able to come up with the perfect thing to either intimidate or insult her opponent." Nita sighed again, "Whereas I can never think of what to say, until about an hour afterward."

Nita tried to think of what else there was. "Carmen also walks differently to me." She walked a few steps in a circle, trying to copy the slow, fluid grace that her sister showed whenever she moved. But instead of feeling graceful, she felt stiff and strange. Shaking herself, Nita tried to relax. "Think slow and graceful, Nita. Gracefuuuu!"

Her paw slipped on a patch of mud by the water's edge and she fell into the shallows with a splash.

Gritting her teeth, Nita stood and shook herself free of as much of the now muddy water as possible.

"Okay, I'm the world's only clumsy cat." Nita extended the claws on her front paws, raking the damp soil and trying to loosen the tension that had built up in her shoulders.

Turning away from the pond, Nita jumped onto a pile of nearby boulders and lay down for the still-warm rock to dry her damp fur.

"I'll never be like Carmen." Nita said resignedly.

The fire was beginning to die in the party clearing, and Sid was showing Daisy how to use a flaming stick to draw a picture in air. "It's so sparkly, see?" Sid commented. As he waved the fire-stick over his head, he dropped the stick and the burning wood landed on his tail.

"Aaah!" He screamed, running around the clearing in a panic as his tail left a trail of smoke behind him.

Nonchalantly, Diego grabbed his friend and sat him in a pile of snow.

"Oh, thank you, Diego." Sid said gratefully. "Bit of déjà vu, there, huh?" Diego raised an eyebrow, and Sid laughed nervously.

"Remember Sid, fire safety is important." Manny told him.

"Are you alright, Sid?" Sally asked, concerned.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Sid tried not to wince as he stood back up. "It happens all the time."

"Not your best recovery, Sid." Diego commented.

Carmen laughed at the bemused look on Marco's face. "Don't worry," she told him. "This is normal, for Uncle Sid."

"Are you guys gonna stay up for a while?" Shira asked the teenagers. "Or call it a night?"

"I'm actually still wide awake." Marco admitted.

"Me too." Carmen added, stretching her muscles. "Fancy a run, Marco?" She asked.

"Sure." He agreed, stretching as well. "I've rested, I've eaten, and I'm energized. I'm ready to beat you."

"You'll try." Carmen challenged confidently.

"Be back in an hour." Shira called

"Sure thing!" Carmen called back over her shoulder as she ran off, Marco close behind.

Kane and Zane remained in the clearing, staring dumbly after Carmen.

"I don't believe it." Zane mumbled.

"What just happened?" Kane asked.

"That's what I'd like to know." Diego frowned. Carmen had never shown an interest in either of the twins, and suddenly this Marco guy turns up, and grabs the attention of his daughter in a day?

"Relax, Alpha dad," Shira reassured her mate.

"Relax?" Diego repeated. "I _am_ relaxed. In fact I'm so relaxed I'd quite happily give Marco a proper training session tomorrow."

"It's just 'cute new guy' syndrome" Shira said. "There's no need to beat him up."

"Yes there is." Diego argued. "After all, testing whether Marco would fit in on the island was one thing. Testing whether he'd be good enough for my daughter is an entirely different matter."

"Carmen can take care of herself, and you know it." Shira told him. "Let her make her own decisions."

Growling slightly in frustration, Diego turned reluctantly and lay down next to the smouldering fire, gazing pensively into the flames.

Shira lowered her eyes in thought. Nita had seemed fascinated by the black sabre as well. She'd seen her smallest daughter leave the party and thought that she might need to talk when she came home. Clearly though, Nita wanted some time alone. As for Carmen, Shira wondered if her interest was serious or not. But, she wouldn't know for sure until she had spoken to her, too. Shira settled herself next to her mate. She would be there for both of her daughters when they were ready.

Kane and Zane had listened to the exchange numbly.

"So, what now?" Kane asked. They'd lost. After living with Carmen's family for as long as they could remember, they had lost their chance to win Carmen in a day, thanks to the 'cute new guy.'

"I'm with Diego," Zane growled. "The new guy needs to be taught a lesson."

"Oh, come on." Kane sighed. "You've gotta admit, it's not his fault."

"But what did he do that we didn't?" Zane demanded.

"I have no idea." Kane admitted. "But whatever it was, it got Carmen's attention."

Zane turned away, eyes roaming the forest as if searching for an answer.

Then suddenly, he remembered...


	4. Chapter 4: Nita finds her Roar

Chapter 4: Nita finds her roar.

_Author's note: I finally found symbols to seperate my scenes that won't vanish when I post them! So, whenever you see ~..~..~..~ that means that we are either changing scene or that some time has passed. Hope you enjoy chapter 4!_

Figuring the party would have stopped by now, Nita thought that she'd head back to the home cave.

Hearing something rustling in the nearby bushes, Nita sprang to her feet, instinctively going into a defensive crouch.

"Relax, Nita." A voice called out.

Nita peered up at the large sabre. "Zane, is that you?"

"Yeah." He answered, stepping out of the shadows of the trees. "You had to get away from the crowd too?"

"Yeah." Nita replied vaguely. "You know me and crowds."

Zane looked around awkwardly for a moment. 'Why is he here?' Nita thought. Zane was usually with his brother, Jasper, or wherever Carmen was.

"Listen," he began. "I didn't like all the people, but I'm still jazzed up from the music." He smiled in challenge. "You wanna have a race up to the training area?"

Nita stood up. "Seriously?" She had never been able to beat Zane in a race, and whenever she thought she had, He or Kane would ambush her at the finish line.

On the bright side, it really helped her reflexes, and encouraged her to train harder on her speed and agility.

"Sure." Zane said. "It's been a while since we've had a race, so I wanna see if you've improved."

It _had_ been a while since they've had a race, and Nita thought it would be great to test her speed now that she'd been working so hard.

"You're on." She said. "Ready. Set. Go!"

The two of them took off, but while Zane pulled ahead on the ground, Nita used her special skill, and jumped into the trees.

Running across the branches, she soon lost sight of Zane below her as the forest became thicker and the leaves obscured her view. But Nita was determined to win this time, and continued to use the branches as easily as a forest trail.

After a few minutes, she could see the forest ending up ahead where the boulder strewn training area met the forest edge. She'd made it!

Nita leaped down from the branches to land on the rock strewn ground of the training area. She looked around, but Zane was nowhere to be seen.

"I won!" She exclaimed to the sky. She had never won a race before in her life! 'I suppose all that climbing and agility training with Crash and Eddie really paid off' she thought.

Then she thought that maybe Zane let her get ahead. After all, he was much bigger and stronger than she was, surely he'd still be able to run faster?

'That was kind of him to do that.' Nita considered. "Annoying and patronising, maybe. But kind.'

Hearing footsteps, Nita quickly positioned herself on top of a large boulder by the forest edge.

'Ambush' she smiled to herself, thinking of all the times the twins had played this trick on her at the end of a race. Now, it was payback.

She watched silently as Zane walked into the bowel-like clearing. He didn't seem to be breathing hard, like he'd just completed a race. He looked more...pensive?

It seemed to take Zane a moment to realise that he'd arrived in the practice area. Nita watched as he looked around, quizzically, most likely looking for her, before taking a seat right below the boulder she was perched on.

Perfect.

Nita bunched her muscles, ready to spring.

"Hi Nita." Zane said.

Nita froze in surprise. How had he spotted her?

"Did I ever tell you what a great name that was?" He continued. "Small and cute, just like...no, she hates being called cute, that won't work." He finished, shaking his head.

Nita's eyes widened in shock. He was practicing _lines_? For her? Nita had overheard the twins practicing what to say to Carmen, and she had always found it funny. But hearing Zane trying to practice things to say to her was... kind of flattering.

"Did I just hear you right?" Another voice said incredulously, and Kane walked out from the forest edge. "Are you practicing lines for _Nita_?"

"Yeah," Zane answered grudgingly. "It's like we've said before, there are only so many sabres on this island." He stood up. "And yeah, we've lost Carmen to Marco, but remember there's still Nita left."

Nita's ability to breathe seemed to disappear as she felt her throat tighten suddenly. 'There's still Nita left'?

And what was that about Carmen and Marco being together? She'd seen Marco watching Carmen dance, but how did that progress to them being a couple so quickly?

"Good point." Kane nodded, and Nita's gasp of shock stuck in her throat. "I mean, Carmen was the best pick on this island, and with her taken, we have to try for the consolation prize."

_Consolation prize!_

Nita felt her hackles rise as her claws extended reflexively in anger and humiliation.

'A consolation prize?' She thought with a mixture of indignation and fury. 'That was all they saw me as?'

Growling fiercely, Nita coiled her muscles and pounced, tackling Zane to the ground. Slashing with a front paw, Nita raked her claws across his face, narrowly avoiding his eyes, before launching herself at Kane, pressing her right paw over his throat to keep him pinned to the ground.

"Consolation prize?" She spat. "I'm a _consolation prize_?"

"Nita," Kane gasped as he struggled to breathe. "Wait."

Nita slowly extended her claws, digging them into his skin.

"I wonder how well you'll be able to brag without your vocal chords." Nita whispered coolly.

Something slammed into her side, and she fell hard on the rocky ground.

Jumping back onto her feet, she realised Zane had pushed her off his brother, and now both of them stood in front of her, growling defensively.

"Hey, I can tell you guys apart now." Nita commented. She had clawed Zane very well. The marks were clearly quite deep and would leave scars once healed.

Too bad she missed his eyes.

"Okay Nita, calm down." Kane began, but Nita cut him off.

"No! How dare you!" She shouted. "How dare you treat me like I'm second-rate!"

Zane growled as he wiped blood out of his eyes. "Well," he said scathingly, "you _are_."

Nita froze.

Her claws dug into the ground, her muscles were tense, and she could hear her blood pumping through her veins.

Nita felt as if she were going to spontaneously combust. It was like there was a fire growing inside of her, raging against the confinement of her body and trying to fight its way out.

Nita growled, and it was like oxygen on a burning ember, the fire inside grew stronger, latching onto this single means of escape.

"RRRRRROOOOAAAARRRR!"

She lunged.

~..~..~..~

"What was that?" Peaches asked, looking around the landscape.

"It sounded like a sabre's roar," Diego said, standing up. "It was coming from the training area."

"A couple of the kids practicing?" Shira wondered.

"This late?" Diego wondered. It wasn't yet curfew, but who would be training at this time of night? He had noticed Nita leave the party early, but he knew his smallest daughter didn't like big gatherings and he figured she may have gone to the training area for a while.

The wind changed direction, carrying the sound of snarling, growling and cries of pain.

"That's not training." Diego realised.

'Let's go!" Shira shouted, and she and Diego raced in the direction of the fight, Manny, Ellie and Peaches following.

As they ran, the sounds of the fighting became clearer, and Diego recognised the voices of Zane, Kane and...

"Nita!" He realised with a jolt, and almost stopped in surprise.

"That's Nita?" Peaches asked, concerned, listening to the fierce growls.

Refocusing, Diego ran faster, Shira by his side. I wasn't like Nita to get into a fight.

What had happened?

Coming onto the scene, all of them were brought to a sharp halt in shock.

Nita was a blur as she darted around the twins, slashing, biting and snarling. And while she did have a couple of claw marks and a few bruises, she was relatively untouched.

The twins were trying to tackle her, charge her, or pin her to the ground, but it appeared to be like trying to catch smoke. One second, Nita would be on Zane's back, biting his neck and Kane would launch himself at her, only to end up tackling his brother, as Nita had already darted away. Then she's pounce on the both of them while they were scrambling on the ground, biting and slashing, before moving nimbly out of range again.

Shira was stunned. She had never seen her smallest daughter fight like this. It was incredible.

But seeing the enraged look on her daughter's face told her that this was no training exercise. This was serious.

Diego and Shira rushed forward, catching the twins by surprise and pinning both of them to the ground.

"Hold them down!" Nita ordered, jumping forward, claws extended.

Manny's trunk caught her mid-jump, wrapping around her small frame and pinning her legs.

"Calm down, Nita, it's okay now." Manny told her.

"No! It's not okay!" Nita struggled against the restraint to no avail. "Let me go!"

"Nita, what happened?" Ellie asked in shock. "You looked like you were trying to maul them!"

"I was!" Nita screamed, struggling harder, against Manny's strong trunk. But she was tiring and her movements were getting weaker.

Diego brought his face threateningly close to Zane's. "What did you do?" He growled.

"She attacked us first!" Kane shouted, before finding his throat pressed under Shira's paw.

"You must have done something, or she wouldn't have been attacking you."

"And doing a pretty good job of it too, by the look of it." Diego added, eyeing the various claw and bite marks that now decorated the twins' faces and bodies.

"Hey, we were the one's winning!" Zane said indignantly.

Diego growled. "As much as I would love to listen to you two idiots out brag each other, my concern is for my daughter. And if you're not going to talk, you're going to run." He extended his claws. "Just remember, that this is an island, and I know every track and trail on it. So if I need to find you again..."He finished threateningly, "I can track you down easily."

Slowly, he let Zane get to his feet, and Shira reluctantly did the same.

Without wasting a moment to question, the twins raced into the forest.

"No!" Nita cried out desperately, still restrained, but no longer fighting. "Why did you do that?"

Diego eyed his daughter with concern as Manny slowly released her. Nita stood up, her limbs shaking with exhaustion.

"Because I'm more worried about you." He explained gently. "I've never seen you like that before."

Nita felt her legs trembling from exertion and had to sit down. Now that the fight was over, she felt like the fire that had filled her had gone out. Instead, she felt pain, exhaustion, shame and humiliation bouncing around in her like seeds in a hollow log.

She didn't want to tell her family what the twins had said. She figured they would go to her defence, as families do, but she didn't want anyone else to know her humiliation.

"What happened, Nita?" Her mother asked her gently.

Nita looked away, gritting her teeth. She couldn't tell them. She'd just stay silent, wait until they leave her alone, then try to track down Zane and Kane again...

"We can't help you, if you don't tell us what's wrong, sweetheart." Ellie said.

"There's nothing you can do about it," Nita spat out sullenly through her teeth "so why _should_ I tell you?"

"Well, if it was so bad that it made you want to maul them, I'm sure I'd like to do some damage myself." Shira put forward, causing Nita to raise her head in surprise.

"Me too." Diego added. "We'd be happy to track them down for you if needed."

"Although, if we're going to help you maul the twins, we'd like to know _why_ we're mauling them." Shira continued slyly.

"Just so we know exactly what to yell at them." Diego finished.

Nita considered this. She still didn't want to say anything, but if it meant that her parents would help her teach the twins a lesson...

She sighed, but felt her body tense again, as if trying to protect itself from the humiliation that was welling up to the surface.

"Do you want the long version or the short version?" She mumbled.

"Short version first." Shira suggested. "They've probably stopped running now, so we'll be able to catch up to them quicker if needed."

Nita took a deep breath to brace herself.

"Apparently, Carmen and Marco are now a couple..."

Diego started slightly in surprise. He hadn't expected this...

"And as they had lost their chance at getting Carmen, the twins went after the consolation prize, me." Nita hung her head in humiliation. There, she'd said it.

"Oh, honey," Ellie began. "No one thinks-" she stopped at the look on Nita's face.

"Yes, they do." Did Nita really have to spell it out like this? "I heard them myself: 'There are only so many sabres on this island and we've lost Carmen to Marco, but remember there's still Nita left.' 'Carmen was the best pick on the island, and with her taken, we have to try for the consolation prize.'"

"Consolation prize?" Shira snarled. "They called _my_ daughter a consolation prize?"

"That's when I attacked them." Nita admitted.

Diego's eyes were hard. "Sorry we interrupted you."

Nita was silent for a moment.

"Maybe they're right." She whispered. "Maybe I am second-rate."

"Why would you think that about yourself?"Shira asked, shocked.

"Carmen's always been better." She answered dully.

"That is not true." Diego said firmly. "You should have seen yourself fighting those two."

"You were incredible Nita," Shira added surely. "They could barely touch you, you were so fast."

Seeing Nita continue to shake with fatigue, Diego turned toward the forest and sniffed the air.

"They haven't gone far." He stated, sharing a look with Shira before turning to his daughter and gently nuzzled her head, like he used to when she was a cub.

"You're exhausted, Nita, rest now." He told her, before turning to Manny.

"Can you make sure she gets home alright?" He asked his friend. "I have a couple of animals I need to disembowel."

Manny wasn't sure if Diego was serious, but he understood the intent clearly enough. He knew how he would feel if someone treated his daughter the same way.

"Don't worry, Diego," Manny promised, "Nita's safe with us."

Diego turned to leave, as Shira came forward, also nuzzling her daughter.

"They'll pay for that, Nita." She swore. "I promise."

"If you can figure out a way to humiliate them as well, I'd appreciate it." Nita asked with a smile. "They'd probably just make up a story about the injuries and brag about it."

Shira smiled in anticipation. "I'm sure we can come up with something."

~..~..~..~

Manny, Ellie and Peaches escorted Nita right up to the mouth of her family cave.

"You're home safe now, Nita." Manny said gently. "You should try to get some sleep."

But as weary as Nita felt, she still didn't think she could sleep. Ignoring the cave entrance, and her usual perch on a rock shelf, she instead climbed the tree at the entrance, where she lay down on a high branch above the mammoths' heads.

"Don't worry, honey." Ellie assured her niece. "Your parents will teach those two how to respect a lady properly."

"Yeah," Peaches added. "Those idiots are probably running for their lives right now."

But Nita wasn't interested in a pep talk. "Thanks for bringing me home." She mumbled before closing her eyes.

Reluctantly, Manny and Ellie left, knowing there wasn't much more they could do.

Peaches, however, stayed behind, wanting to help her cousin.

"Nita-"

"Don't" Nita growled slightly, eyes still closed against the world. "Just go away, Peaches." She implored. "Please? I'm not in the mood right now."

"Okay." Peaches said. "I'm here for you, cuz." She reminded the sabre as she turned away. "Don't you pay attention to the twins, they've always been soft in the head."

As Peaches began heading home, she heard laughter up ahead.

Carmen and Marco burst from the trees, landing together on the trail.

"I won again!" Marco said proudly.

"You did not!" Carmen laughed, before noticing her cousin. "Oh, hey Peaches." She greeted the young mammoth. "Did you see who landed first?"

"I think it was a tie." Peaches answered slowly.

"Oh, man!" Marco complained. "We'll have to have a rematch!"

"Definitely." Carmen agreed. "Goodnight, Marco."

"Uh." Marco held the white sabres attention. "Where can I sleep?"

Carmen considered the options. "Well, I doubt you'll be allowed to sleep in our cave," she granted. "But Sasha and her brothers sleep in the trees further down." She gestured in the direction.

"Alright." Marco smiled. "Goodnight Carmen." He paused. "Good night, Peaches." He added as he headed off.

Peaches watched Carmen's face as Marco blended into the night.

"So," Peaches began. "You and Marco are together now, huh?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it that." Carmen said awkwardly, began before meeting her cousin's eyes.

Carmen's smile faded from her face. Something was wrong.

"Peaches?" Carmen queried, concerned.

Peaches sighed. "I think you need to talk to your sister." The mammoth suggested gently.

"Why?" Carmen asked quickly. "What's wrong?"

Slowly, carefully, Peaches explained.

~..~..~

"I've always been jealous of that." A voice called up.

Looking down from her perch, Nita saw Carmen standing below her tree.

"You've been jealous of me?" Nita repeated incredulously as she crept to a lower branch.

Carmen nodded. "I tried, once, to jump from one tree to another, like you can." She smiled ruefully. "I fell and sprained my right foreleg."

Nita made it to the lowest branch and gazed down at her sister. "But why would you need to run through the trees?" Nita asked. "You can run perfectly fine on the ground."

Carmen shrugged. "You've always been so versatile." She answered. "I wanted to be like that."

Nita considered this a moment before frowning. Carmen didn't find her just to compliment her climbing skills. "What do you want, Carmen?"

Her sister sighed, before taking a seat on the ground. "About Marco..."

"Forget it." Nita said quickly.

"No. I'm sorry-"

"Don't be!" Nita closed her eyes, took a breath, and looked back at her sister. "It's not your fault you're irresistible to every young, unattached male sabre on this island."

Carmen raised an eyebrow. "All three of them?"

"There's two now." Nita reminded her.

Carmen's expression became sympathetic. "That still doesn't make it fair."

"No, it doesn't" Nita admitted after a pause. "But like I said, it's not your fault. I'm clearly not the type of girl who makes the top of the list."

"But just because a couple of males don't have you at the top of the list doesn't mean that someone else-"

"Who?" Nita asked. "Kane and Zane had a point, there are only so many sabres on this island, and we've been searching along Switchback Cove all day, and haven't found any sign of Marco's pack yet."

Carmen lowered her eyes, knowing she didn't have an answer.

Nita sighed. "You really like Marco, huh?" She asked softly.

Blushing slightly, Carmen nodded.

"You're happy?" Nita continued.

Carmen nodded again.

Nita smiled slightly before jumping down from the tree. "So what kind of sister would I be, if I ruined that for you?"

Carmen's eyes widened. "You...you're okay with this?" She asked slowly.

Nita snorted slightly. 'Okay' wasn't how she would say it. "I'm still resentful," she admitted. "But it's my pride that's been wounded the most today."

Carmen's expression became sympathetic again.

"But," Nita continued. "I can't make your or Marco's decisions for you, and the last thing I want to do is take your happiness away, just to try and have my own. I'm clearly not Marco's type, anyway," she added, " so it probably wouldn't work."

Nita shuffled her paws awkwardly on the ground, avoiding her sister's gaze. "But, can you please do me a favour, and not rub it in my face?" She asked.

Carmen hugged her. "Promise."

Taking a step back, Carmen cast her eyes over her sister. "You really gave the twins a thrashing, huh?" She asked, impressed.

"Yes." Nita said unapologetically. "I can't believe that, after knowing each other our whole lives..."

"I know." Carmen agreed fiercely. "I wish I could've seen you fight them. I can't wait to see what mum and dad do to them."

"Me either." Nita's eyes lit up with anticipation.

_Author's note: So, Zane remembered that Carmen wasn't the only female sabre on the Island...Too bad he was absent the day they taught respect. I'm having trouble thinking of an appropriate punishment for the twins, though. Any ideas? And no, Carmen and Nita were never going to fight over Marco, I think they care too much about each other for that. Also, I think Nita still feels that there's no real point in competing with her sister, despite the fact that she's just proven how fierce a fighter she can be, when pushed. She may have to be pushed even harder to change her perception of herself...Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5: Pack Mentality

Chapter 5: Pack Mentality

_Author's note: Thanks for the gret reviews, guys! It might be a while before I update again, as I'm trying to get my plot sorted out. But, I wanted to post this chapter up quickly, just so you can have an idea of where I'm wanting this story to go. Enjoy!_

The next morning, Nita woke up to find that she and her siblings were the only ones in the cave. Their parents were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are mum and dad?" Jasper asked, yawning widely. He'd arrived home just after Carmen and Nita had gone to sleep, so had yet to be updated with the events the previous night.

"I hope they didn't spend all night chasing the twins through the forest." Carmen said, stretching. "They're not worth the effort."

"Why?" Jasper asked, surprised at the growl that accompanied his sister's last statement. "What happened?"

"Oh good, you guys are awake!" Peaches appeared at the cave entrance, gesturing with her trunk. "Come outside, Nita. We have something for you!"

Meeting her sister's gaze, Nita stepped into the early morning sunlight to find a rather large crowd gathered, all looking up.

"There you are!" Sasha cried out, coming forward, concern written on her face. "Can any of you explain how _this_ happened to my brothers?"

Nita, Carmen and Jasper all turned in the direction everyone was staring in, and felt their jaws drop.

"I don't believe it." Jasper said, wide eyed.

There was a rocky outcrop jutting from the side of one of the many cliffs around the island. On this rocky outcrop was a large, ancient tree. And hanging upside down from their tails, in this large, ancient tree, struggling to free themselves from the vines that tethered them to the branch above their heads, were Zane and Kane.

"C'mon, can you please let us down?" Kane pleaded. "I can't feel my tail!"

It was then that Nita noticed her parents. Shira was relaxing on the tree branch the twins were tied to, while Diego was pacing on the rocky ground below their swinging heads.

"Nita!" Her mother called out, spotting her daughter amongst the herd. "Good morning, sweetheart!"

"We've been waiting for you!" Diego added. "The twins have something to say." He batted Kane with a paw, making him swing and the tree branch creak ominously. "Go on..."

"Hey, she attacked _us_!" Zane objected defiantly. "_She_ should apologise to _us_!"

Shira stood up and began to jiggle the branch, making the twins sway and bounce in the breeze.

"Please stop!" Kane begged, sounding exhausted. "I'm gonna throw up!"

Shira obliged, but continued to observe her prisoners pointedly.

"Well...?" She asked.

Kane took a breath to calm his roiling stomach and pounding head. "I'm sorry, Nita!"

"Yeah," Zane added. "We're really sorry!"

Diego gave them another push. "Put some effort into it!" He ordered.

"You're not second-rate!" Kane tried. "We just screwed up!"

"That's more like it!" Shira encouraged as laughter began to ripple through the crowd.

Sasha was gobsmacked. "Nita..." she whispered. "What did they _do_?"

Nita couldn't stop the grin spreading across her face. Oh, this was _perfect_. Apologising in front of the whole herd, dignity gone... it was Kane and Zane's worst nightmare.

But still, they had to turn it into a competition...

"I am so sorry, I feel like Sid when he's just ruined a Rhino's breakfast!" Zane continued. "You have no idea how sorry we are!"

"Okay, I think you're done now." Shira said, cutting the vines with a quick snap of her jaws.

"Aaaah-Oomph!" The twins fell in a heap at Diego's feet. Laughter and scattered applause emanated from the herd below.

"How was that?" Diego called down to his daughter.

"Perfect!" Nita replied, satisfied. "Thank you!"

"Okay," Jasper said firmly. "What did we miss?"

~..~..~..~

When Zane and Kane hobbled into the home clearing, they were hoping to make it to their beds without attracting attention.

However, their sister had other ideas.

"You boneheads!" She scolded them, cuffing Kane around the back of the head. "I can't believe you could be _that_ moronic!"

"Oh, come on, sis." Zane said wearily. "Nita slashed my face. We've been hanging in a tree all night, and have just been humiliated in front of the whole herd. Haven't we been punished enough?"

"I dunno." Jasper considered. "I haven't had _my_ turn yet."

"Leave them, Jasper. " Sasha growled, cuffing Zane for good measure before stalking off in disgust. "I don't think they can take much more."

Kane cast his eyes around until he found Nita.

"Are we forgiven?" He asked hopefully.

"Forgiven." Nita granted. "But not forgotten."

As the twins limped off, Marco came up beside Nita.

"Wow." He laughed. "You wouldn't last two minutes in a pack, Nita."

"Why?" Nita frowned. "Do you think I'm too weak?"

"No!" Marco said quickly. "No, not at all. You are tough, it's just..."

"What?"

Marco tried to think of the right way to say it. "You're too..._nice_."

"What?" Now Nita was confused.

"Seriously." Marco assured. "You're always trying to make sure everyone likes you. It's got to the point where even your _prey _aren't afraid of you."

Nita stood up slowly. "So, are you saying that I should try to make people _not_ like me?"

Marco shook his head, laughing slightly. "No, that's not it." He said soothingly. "What I'm saying is; you should be thankful to live in a herd. A pack is a rough place to live in."

"And you don't think I'd be strong enough?" Nita asked, trying to figure out if Marco was making a compliment, an insult, or an observation.

Marco's eyes became distant. "There are many types of strengths, and you do have a few of them, Nita." He lowered his head thoughtfully. "You're herd... it's strong without being...hard."

"I don't understand." Nita said.

Marco smiled at the smaller sabre. "And I hope you never do."

~..~..~..~

Daisy was sitting next to the charred remains of the previous night's bonfire, dropping one pebble onto another hopefully.

"What are you doing there, Daisy?" Sid asked, watching the little sloth with interest.

"Trying to make fire like you did." Daisy replied, dropping another pebble.

"Awww." Sid was touched. It was the first time someone else had tried to do something like him.

"Here." He said, picking up the proper rocks. "Let me show you."

Sally arrived in the clearing, carrying an armful of fruit that she'd picked for breakfast, and promptly dropped her bundle at what she saw.

"Okay, now you need to hold the rocks close to the dried grass, so it can catch the sparks." Sid was saying as he guided Daisy's paws. "And then you clap the rocks together like your brushing something off your fur." He showed her how to rub the rocks together and a small spark flew.

"See?" Sid said. "Now you try."

Daisy clapped the rocks together, but she did it so hard that one of them broke. She gasped.

"I'm sorry Sid!" She cried.

"No, no, it's okay." Sid assured her. "You just made a mistake, it happens to everyone."

Picking up two more rocks, he struck them together, sending a shower of sparks over his feet.

"Ouch!" He jumped, dropping one of his rocks on his foot.

"Ow!" He yelped again, sitting himself on the ground, and blowing on his foot. He looked up to see Daisy with her paws covering her mouth in shock.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Sure." Sid said good naturedly as he stood back up. "See? I make mistakes too."

A smile appeared at the corners of Daisy's eyes before a giggle escaped the paws covering her mouth. Soon, both she and Sid were laughing.

Sally stepped forward slowly. It had been so long since her daughter laughed like that with someone. They had been drifting on that ice flow in the ocean for so long that Sally had begun to lose hope that they would ever see other animals again.

And now, here was her daughter, laughing like any other young sloth should be.

"Mummy!" Daisy cried out happily. "Look, Sid's teaching me how to make fire!"

"Really?" Sally asked with interest, even though she'd been watching.

"She's doing well, for her first lesson." Sid added as Daisy began showing her mother how to strike the rocks together. Daisy hadn't quite got the technique yet, but she kept trying enthusiastically.

Sally turned to Sid. "That was really kind of you to do that." She told him, gratefully.

"Oh, my pleasure." Sid assured her. "I love kids."

They continued to watch Daisy try to get a spark from the two rocks, Sid offering a tip every now and again. After a moment, Sid began to wring his paws together nervously.

"Uh, Sally," he began hesitantly. "If you don't mind me asking, where's Daisy's father?"

Sally eyes became downcast.

"He left."

Sid was shocked. "What?"

"He left." Sally repeated softly, so that her daughter wouldn't hear. "He said he didn't want to have a family."

For the first time, Sid was speechless. How could someone _not_ want to have a family? He'd adopted dinosaurs!

"Daisy hasn't yet started asking about her father, but I have no idea what to tell her when she does." Sally continued. She turned her sad eyes onto Sid. "How to you tell a child that their own father doesn't want them?"

Sid was silent for a moment. He knew what it was like to be abandoned by your family.

"You're part of our herd, now, Sally." Sid told her. "We're _all_ a family. Daisy will have lots of responsible adults to look after her."

"Too bad you're not one them Sidney!" Granny called from where she had started trying to eat the fruit Sally had dropped.

"Hey Mum! Sid!" Daisy exclaimed in delight. "I think I saw a spark!"

~..~..~..~

Nita relished in the quiet forest as she ran, the cool breeze clearing her head to think. She was curious about what Marco had said about pack life, and how she wouldn't last long in one. What was that supposed to mean, anyway? That she was _too nice_ to be in a pack? However he tried to say it, Nita thought Marco was just trying to find a gentle way of saying she was soft, and that was why she forgave Kane and Zane as she did.

Nita jumped the familiar route down to the shore of Switchback Cove. Neither Jasper nor Sasha had reported seeing anyone wash up on shore last night, and Manny and Ellie hadn't seen anyone yesterday afternoon. Nita hoped that there would be some more survivors from Marco's pack this morning.

Reaching the sand, Nita took off along the shoreline, scanning the beach and sniffing the breeze.

Eventually, she made it up to the forest edge. She hadn't found anything other than driftwood, seaweed and ice.

Sighing, Nita was about to turn back for home when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye.

Her green eyes probed the trees. Was that paws she could hear? It was hard to tell against the sound of the waves.

She sniffed, but the breeze was now coming off the tide, sending her scent into the forest.

'There!' A black shape moved in the trees.

She saw fur. She was sure of it.

Nita's eyes scanned the forest edge, trying to find the animal again. She was sure she had seen black fur.

"Marco?" She called uncertainly. "Is that you?"

Something slammed into her from behind, pinning her to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, Nita could see a large, black paw. She felt the pressure of another one on the back of her neck, holding her firmly on the ground. Nita couldn't move.

"So," a deep voice breathed into her ear. "You know Marco?"

"Yeah." Nita answered shakily. "He washed up on the island yesterday." Nita tried to turn her head, but the large paw on her neck kept her still.

"Interesting." Nita could hear the paw's owner inhale her scent, causing a shiver to travel down her spine. "And what would your name be, kitten?" He asked.

"Don't call me kitten!" Nita growled. Curling onto her side, Nita managed to get out from under her captor. Jumping to her feet, she darted away, creating some distance, before taking a look at her assailant.

He was a large, black sabre. He was older than she was, but much younger than her father.

"Whoa, there." This new sabre said smoothly, a slight chuckle entering his voice. "Feisty, aren't you?"

Nita lifted her chin proudly, trying to appear strong. "And don't you forget it." Her voice came out breathy, betraying her.

Slowly, the black sabre began to circle Nita. "That was impressive," He said silkily. "I've never seen a sabre your size move so quickly."

"Thank you." Nita's voice still sounded breathy, and she tried to calm down her racing heart.

"Forgive me if I scared you before." The black sabre's gold eyes seemed to bore into her, and Nita actually had to take a step back. "But I wasn't sure if you were a threat."

"Me? A threat?" Nita asked "No! Well," she amended as the black sabre caught her gaze again "only if you attack me or my family first."

"Your family?" That seemed to get the strange sabre's attention.

"Yes." Nita continued. "We all protect each other. Marco's fitting in okay, but he's still getting used to life on the island."

The black sabre seemed to consider this.

"I'm sure Marco will be happy to hear that more of his pack arrived here safely." Nita continued, as this sabre was clearly from Marco's pack. "I can take you to him."

"No." The black sabre said smoothly. "Marco and I have never really got along, you see. But if you could send him here to me," he added. "I would appreciate it."

Nita nodded numbly.

The black sabre stepped closer. "You know, you never did tell me your name."

"Nita."

"Nita." He echoed, bowing his head slightly. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Nita."

As he turned away, Nita realised that she was shivering, despite the warm sun. Shaking her head to clear it, Nita turned and headed back up the beach toward home.

As the black sabre watched Nita from the forest edge, he felt another sabre approach from the trees behind him.

"Well distracted, my dear." He said in approval, his eyes still noting the direction Nita was running.

"I don't understand, Kyron." Chitza said. "What's with the pipsqueak?"

"Did you see the fire in her eyes when I called her kitten?" Kyron asked her, a greedy smiled pulling at the corner of his mouth. "One thing I know about the underdogs, my dear" he explained, turning to his mate. "Is that they often have a thirst to prove themselves. And this one's no exception."

Comprehension dawned in his mate's eyes and she nodded in approval.

"She could be just the puppet we need."

_Author's note: So, what do you think? I really like the bonding moment between Sid, Sally and Daisy in this chapter. Sid's always been considered 'the comedic sidekick,' but I know that he always has his heart in the right place, and I really wanted that to shine in my story. What did you think of Kyron? Did I get the 'charming bad guy' thing across or should I rewrite that section? I know this chapter's a bit short, so is there any part that I need to rewrite more clearly? Please review, I appreciate the feedback!_


	6. Chapter 6: Bruno and Ebony

_Author's note: Thanks for the great reviews, guys! I'm amazed that by chapter 5 of this story, I already had more reviews then all 13 chapters of my Twilight story. (Hopefully that means my writing skills are improving.) Sorry it's been a while since I've updated, but here is chapter 6, finally! Hope you enjoy it._

**Chapter 6: Bruno and Ebony**

"Hey, Jasper!" A voice called.

Jasper turned, only to be hit by a large spray of cold sea water.

Laughing, Sasha and Carmen bounded away into the shallows of the tide, enticing an all out water fight.

Marco watched from the shore. Kane and Zane had yet to fully recover from their injuries, and were still back home, trying to sleep off their humiliation.

"Come on in, Marco!" Carmen invited, but Marco shook his head.

"No thanks, I've had enough of the water." He answered.

"Yeah," Jasper mused. "I guess drowning kinda takes the joy out of water sports."

Carmen came back onto the shore as Jasper and Sasha resumed their game.

"You okay?" Carmen asked, concerned.

"Yeah." Marco replied surely, but his eyes drifted out over the ocean.

"You worried about your pack?" Carmen asked.

Marco sighed. "Honestly, I'm only interested in finding two members of my pack." He admitted. "My sister and my best friend. I don't really care about any of the others."

"Don't care?" Carmen repeated.

Seeing the look on Carmen's face, reminded Marco that she was _not_ part of a pack.

"Pack life is different to herd life." Marco explained. "We act like a team on hunting trips, but that's about it. It's just a means to get food. Every-day pack life is all about hierarchy, where you exist in line." He became pensive, trying to think of a simple way to explain the pack lifestyle. "You prove your worth, you get better food and more respect. But all it takes is one mistake, and you could end up on the bottom, or dead."

Marco sighed. "You can't really trust anyone. Even your own family can turn against you."

Carmen's eyes widened. "Your own family?" She gasped.

Marco smirked. "Like I said to Nita earlier: Be grateful you're part of a herd."

"Hey, guys!"

Marco and Carmen turned to see Nita heading towards them.

"Hey Nita." Jasper called back, sending sea spray flying as he shook himself free of the cold water. "Didn't expect to see you at The Rock this morning."

"I nearly got trampled _again_." Nita muttered as she approached their group on the sand. "And when they apologised, they just said 'sorry Fluffy!' I'm really started to get annoyed." Nita scowled. "I mean, I get called Fluffy so many times. Can't people think of something more original?"

"That's a new way to look at it, Nita." Carmen commented drily. "You could be making progress."

"What's up, Nita?" Sasha asked as the small sabre rolled her eyes.

"I have news for Marco." Nita looked over at the black sabre. "I met a pack member of yours at Switchback Cove."

"Really?" Marco eagerly jumped to his feet. "Who was it?"

Nita thought for a moment. "Actually," she began apologetically. "He left before I got his name. Sorry."

Marco shook his head, disappointed. "No it's okay. If it was my friend Bruno, one of the first things he would've done is introduce himself. It's clearly not him. Or my sister."

"But, it's one of your pack." Nita repeated. "He said you don't get along, but-"

"I don't get along with the majority of my pack." Marco said firmly. "I'm only interested in finding Bruno and Ebony, and that's all." He turned away. "Sorry, Nita. Not interested."

~..~..~..~

Sid poked his head out from behind a boulder, scanning the small clearing. Creeping out, he turned his head back behind him.

"Okay, it's all clear." He whispered.

Cautiously, Sally stepped out into the open, Daisy holding onto her mother's paw.

"Are they here, Sid?" Daisy asked, her curious eyes searching the trees.

"Yep, they're here, but they're kinda shy." Sid told the little sloth. "So you have to be quiet, okay?"

Daisy nodded.

"Oh, look!" Sally whispered, pointing into the trees.

Ears and eyes had began to appear among the branches and rocks as the hyrax clan began to emerge.

"Hi guys!" Sid greeted, moving forward to meet the little leader they dubbed 'Half-pint'.

Sally watched, stunned, as Sid and Half-pint began performing some kind of crazy dance involving spinning, gibberish and blowing raspberries.

"Sorry, I just had to do the introductions first." Sid explained when he'd finished.

"O...kay." Sally answered automatically.

The area soon became flooded with dozens of little furry bodies as the hyrax came forward to meet Sally and Daisy.

"Hi." Daisy said as a couple of hyrax came forward to place a flower necklace around her neck. "Thank you! I love yellow."

"Oh, thank you." Sally said as she was offered some fresh fruit.

Sid watched with pride as his little friends welcomed the two newest sloths.

"They're so friendly." Sally commented as four hyrax gave her a hug. "How did you meet them?"

"Well, we had washed up on this Island after escaping from a band of pirates." Sid began dramatically. "And we noticed that the pirates had washed up too, forcing these poor little guys to build them a new ship."

"Oh no!" Daisy said. "Did you save them?"

"Yes we did." Sid answered, and Daisy sighed in relief. "We were able to distract the pirates, rescue Half-pint's friends and take the ship in order to get back home!"

"Where was your home, if it wasn't here?" Sally asked curiously.

"It was the continent." Sid replied. "But when a rock wall destroyed it, we had to bring the herd here."

A burst of laughter alerted them to Daisy having a large tickle fight with some of the hyrax. Giggling, they chased each other all around the small clearing.

Gasping for breath, Daisy sat up, spotting something out on the ocean.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing.

~..~..~..~

The sabres turned their heads at the sound of a commotion from the teenage herd at the Rock.

"What's that? Sasha asked.

Laughter rippled through the heard as whatever it was made its way toward them, and eventually, Sasha could see her two brothers emerge, heads hung low.

"Hi guys." Kane sighed as he flopped down next to Marco on the sand.

"Well well." Jasper mocked. "Look who's shown up with their tails between their legs."

"C'mon, Jas." Zane whined. "We've had enough of that on our way over here."

"Told you we should have stayed home." Kane muttered to his twin.

"I couldn't stand to hear you whinging." Zane shot back.

"Alright!" Sasha interjected, seeing the look on Kane's face. "You screwed up, you were punished, you apologised, let's move on now."

"Thank you!" The twins said together in relief.

Marco shook his head. 'Definitely different from a pack,' he thought.

"So...fancy a rematch, Nita?" Zane asked. The little sabre looked at him incredulously before snorting softly.

"No," Nita said dismissively. "I think I've slashed your face enough for this week, Zane."

"Hey guys." Carmen stood up, gazing out to sea. "What's that?"

All eyes turned towards the ocean.

"It's just an ice flow." Zane said quickly.

"No, there's a tree growing on it." Kane added.

Marco got up quickly and began to climb up one of the many piles of boulders that were scattered along the shoreline, trying to get a better view.

It was an ice flow. And it did have a tree growing out of a rocky section at the back, like the mast of a ship.

But he also saw something like...

"Animals!" Carmen announced. "There're animals on it!" Standing up next to Marco, she roared. The others joined in, their roars calling to whomever it was on the ice flow, that they were heading towards land, and other animals.

Slowly, the ice ship drifted closer, and the sabres on the shore could see that there were two animals lying on the small ship.

Marco could feel hope building in his chest. They were black sabres! Definitely members of his pack, but were they the ones he hoped?

Eventually, the small ship came close enough.

"Hello!" Sasha greeted. "Welcome to the Island!"

"Are either of you injured?" Jasper called out.

"No, just starving!" A voice called back in relief.

Marco jumped forward. "Bruno!" He yelled. "Is that you?"

"Marco?" Bruno queried. "That you, Buddy?"

"Marco!" The second sabre greeted. "You're alive!"

A grin spread across Marco's face. "Ebony." He laughed in relief. "You okay Sis?"

"Yeah, we're fine, no thanks to Bruno!" Ebony called out. "He's been a terrible sailor!"

"Hey!" Bruno objected as Marco laughed.

As the ship came closer, Marco and the others noticed that it was beginning to crack and crumble. Fissures had formed in some places along the edge, and even as they watched the ship drift to shore on the current, pieces of ice were breaking off.

"It's lucky that they found this island when they did." Jasper commented as their group came forward to help the newcomers when they reached the shore. "I doubt that thing would've lasted much longer."

As the small ship got closer to the shore, a great crack was heard as it hit the sandbank. The small fissures visible became larger, splitting the ice flow in many pieces.

Ebony was stranded on a piece just big enough for her to stand on, but Bruno fell into the water.

"He can't swim.' Marco gasped. He was going to see his friend only to watch him die.

"I'm on it!" Nita said, running into the waves. Paddling out, she could see the black sabre struggling in the water, trying to find something to grab hold of, to keep him afloat.

"Hold on, Bruno!" Ebony called from her small ice burg as she continued to drift toward shore. Kane and Jasper raced into the waves to push the ice to the beach.

Spitting out salt water, Nita reached the black sabre, just as he began to sink under the water.

Gritting her teeth, Nita dove under the larger sabre, pushing his head above the water, and allowed the waves to carry them back to shore, paddling only to steer.

After what felt like an age, Nita could feel sand beneath her paws, but the black sabre, Bruno, was too heavy for her to carry onto the shore.

Carmen and Sasha rushed in to help

Dragging the unconscious sabre ashore, the three girls collapsed on the beach, dripping seawater.

The ice burg carrying Ebony bumped onto the shore and Marco helped his sister get safely onto the sand while Kane and Jasper shook themselves dry.

"Marco" Ebony gasped with relief as she hugged her brother. Then the black sabre turned warily to the two tawny sabres beside her.

"Thanks for getting me to shore." She said reluctantly. "You guys can swim?"

Jasper nodded. "My dad taught us." He answered. "All the sabres on this island can swim."

"Really?" She asked. "That sounds useful."

"I could teach you, if you like." Kane offered. "My names Kane, by the way."

"I'm Zane." His brother added quickly, stepping forward.

"Ebony." Came the curt reply. "Not interested."

Marco chuckled at the look on the twins' faces as he and his sister went over to check on Bruno.

Coughing up seawater, Bruno slowly opened his eyes. Looking up, he realised he had somehow made it ashore, and, spotting two wet sabres in front of him, he guessed how.

"Bruno!" Marco greeted, arriving on the scene. "About time you made it!"

"Yeah, well if it weren't for these lovely ladies, I wouldn't have." Bruno gestured to his rescuers.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Bruno," he continued, bowing graciously. The white sabre laughed, catching Bruno's attention first. "What's your name, beautiful?" He asked.

"Her name's Carmen." Marco did the introduction with a gentle, but firm warning in his voice: _off limits_.

Taking the hint with good grace, Bruno turned to the second, tawny sabre. "And you are?"

"Sasha." She replied, "And this is my boyfriend, Jasper." She added as Jasper came to sit beside her, giving a warning glance of his own.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Bruno continued smoothly. At that moment, Bruno felt a shower of water droplets and he turned to see a small, sand coloured sabre he hadn't noticed before, shaking herself dry.

"Don't mind me." Nita sighed in resignation as she moved further onto the dry sand. "I'm just the one who swam out to get you. My name's Nita, by the way." She added over her shoulder.

"Whoa, wait." Bruno swiftly got ahead of the smaller sabre, cutting off her exit. "You were the one who saved me?" He queried. When he'd woken up to see Carmen and Sasha dripping seawater, he thought they'd helped him.

"Yes, it actually was her." Carmen put in. "Sasha and I helped carry you onto dry land, but it was Nita who swam out to you."

"Really?" He asked the tiny sabre in front of him.

"Yes." Nita said slowly. '_Why was he questioning her'_ She thought. '_He'd had no trouble thinking Carmen and Sasha had done it. Unless..._'

"Sorry, it's just that..." Bruno shook his head, smiling. "You're so _tiny_."

Nita's thoughts were confirmed. "Very observant of you." She answered tersely. "And you're welcome."

"Thank you." Bruno amended quickly, but it was too late.

"You and Ebony must be hungry." Nita said firmly. "You guys should take them hunting." She called back to the others gathered on the beach.

"What about you?" Sasha asked. "You must be hungry too."

"And we could use your help on the hunt." Carmen added.

"I'm sure that, between the seven of you, you can get a decent meal." Nita said as she stepped around Bruno to resume her course. "Don't worry about me, I'll find something."

As Nita ran off, Bruno was confused.

"What did I do?" Bruno said aside to Marco. He hadn't expected her to _leave_.

Marco shook his head. "Well, in case you hadn't noticed, Nita really_ doesn't_ like being called tiny and cute."

Comprehension dawned. "I screwed up my first impression, didn't I?"

Marco nodded sympathetically.

~..~..~..~

Kyron was picking his teeth clean with a claw, having just finished feasting on a couple of beavers that he and Chitza had chanced upon by a nearby river.

A slight rustle of leaves was the only indication that Chitza approached from the trees.

"This place is bigger than how it first looks." Chitza reported. "There's a great herd of animals that seems to live on one side of the island."

"Did you see any sabres?" Kyron asked. "The family that Nita spoke of?"

"Only two." His mate answered. "They're very different to us. The male is a tawny brown and his mate is white and grey."

Kyron considered this as he continued to clean his teeth and claws of meat and blood.

"There must be more cubs than just Nita and Marco." Kyron mused. "But these two sabres are the leaders of this island pack?" He queried.

"That appears to be right." Chitza answered.

"You need to be sure." Kyron impressed on his mate. "I am not going to continue to _follow_ in this new land. I am going to lead. _We_ are going to lead." He corrected, standing up. "And if we are going to lead the pack on this Island, we need to know where the power already stands."

"Nita could help." Chitza suggested.

"Yes, and I have planted the seed of 'friendship' in her head already." Kyron reminded impatiently. "What we need, is more information. I need you to observe these two sabres you spotted, find out how big the pack is and what their weaknesses are." He smiled coolly. "Only then can we find a way to divide and conquer."

~..~..~..~

"Precious!" Granny called out. "Where are you? Come on, sweetie!"

"Granny," Ellie said patiently. "Precious isn't here."

"It's her feeding time!" Granny said firmly, continuing to search the clearing. "Precious!"

"Oh, someone make her stop!" Manny whined, massaging his head with his trunk. "Diego, Shira, could you –"

"Manny!" Ellie admonished.

"Sorry Manny." Diego apologised. "Even if she wasn't family, we wouldn't."

"Yeah, there's not much meat on her." Shira added drily.

"What's up my mammals!" Sid greeted as he, Sally and Daisy entered the clearing.

"Hey, where have you guys been all morning?" Ellie asked.

"Sid took us to meet the hyrax!" Daisy announced excitedly before launching into a detailed description of the encounter.

"Oh, and we saw some new sabres arrive!" Sally added when Daisy finally finished describing the tickle fight in great detail.

"New sabres?" Diego repeated.

"I saw them first!" Daisy waved her paw in the air.

"How many more?" Manny asked.

"Two." Sid answered confidently. "We saw them wash up by the Rock. The kids found them, I think."

At that moment, Nita arrived on the scene.

"Hey Nita." Shira called to her daughter. "Do you know anything about two sabres who washed up at The Rock earlier?"

"Yeah. Marco's sister Ebony and his friend Bruno." Nita answered as she took a seat by her father. "The others are taking them hunting, as they haven't eaten for a while."

"And you didn't want to join them?" Diego asked.

"I caught a couple of fish on my way here." Nita said proudly. "I'm fine."

"But that was on your way _here_." Diego prodded gently. "Why didn't you want to hunt with the others?"

Nita was silent for a moment, but Diego knew his daughter, and could see the frustration building up until...

"How rude is that?" Nita said indignantly. 'You save a guy from drowning, and instead of being grateful, he completely ignores you before insulting you."

"Wait. What?" Diego asked. Not another guy problem!

"Start from the beginning, Nita." Shira said.

"Well, we were all at the Rock, when Carmen spotted an ice flow in the water." Nita began. "When we spotted two black sabres, we knew they were from Marco's pack, and as they floated closer, Marco found out that they were his sister and his friend. But, as the ice got closer to the shore, it started to break up. Ebony stayed on a small piece of ice, and Jasper and Kane swam out to push it ashore. But Bruno fell into the water. He couldn't swim, so I swam out and brought him to the beach, but he was unconscious and too heavy for me to carry onto the sand, so Sasha and Carmen helped me carry him."

"That was really brave of you, Nita." Ellie said, causing Nita to look up.

"Well, what did you expect from her?" Diego said proudly, causing a small smile to hover around Nita's mouth.

"What happened next?" Shira asked.

"Well, Ebony got to shore okay, and Bruno woke up once he was on the sand." Nita continued. "He actually bowed in gratitude to Carmen and Sasha, but he didn't even see me until I shook myself dry. Then, when he found out that I was the one who swam out to get him, it was like he didn't believe it. He didn't even say 'thank you' until I said 'you're welcome'."

"Well, pack sabres are different with manners." Diego commented lightly.

"Yeah" Manny added. "We saved your mother from drowning and she didn't thank us at all."

"That was because you were an _enemy _at the time." Shira explained.

"You, know, we never did get a thank you." Sid added.

Shira rolled her eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Sid said brightly.

"Getting back to the topic..." Ellie said before gesturing for Nita to continue.

"Well, he didn't have to _bow_," Nita said. "But it would have been nice to have had a little acknowledgement and gratitude."

"Strange that he bowed." Diego commented. "I mean, pack etiquette is about respect, but bowing is a bit over the top."

"I don't think it was _respect_." Nita mumbled. "He called Carmen 'beautiful' when he asked her what her name was."

"Ah." Shira commented, thinking they'd finally reached the real reason why Nita had avoided the hunt.

"And he looked so disbelieving when he found out that I was the one who had swum out to save him." Nita continued, seeming to be talking more to herself now. "He actually asked for confirmation twice, and even then, he seemed shocked."

"Why?" Ellie asked. "I mean, I realise that most sabres can't swim, but-"

"He said 'Sorry, it's just that you're so tiny.'" Nita quoted.

"Well, you are tiny, pipsqueak." Granny said as she walked passed, still searching for her pet.

"So what?" Nita asked, exasperated. "What does my size have to do with anything?"

"Well, sabres are meant to be big and scary." Daisy said innocently. "But you're not big and scary, you're small and nice."

Nita wasn't sure if that was meant to be a compliment or an insult.

A rustling in the trees prevented Nita from having to find a comment and Crash and Eddie appeared, hanging by their tails above Ellie's head.

"Status report." Eddie began. "New sabres arriving with the teen pack."

"They should be here in a few minutes." Crash added.

"Good." Diego said, standing up. "We'll need to get the measure of these new guys."

After a few moments, the teen sabres arrived in the clearing.

"Wow, did you see me take down that gazelle?" Zane cheered. "It was brilliant!"

"Yes, but not as entertaining as when it kicked you in the head." Carmen commented, causing laughter amongst the girls.

"I was impressed that you stayed conscious." Sasha said to her brother. "Those gazelle have a hard kick."

"Come on, Zane's got a pretty thick head," Kane added cheerily "a gazelle's not gonna do much damage."

"I take it the hunting party went well?" Diego asked, his gaze landing on the two new sabres arriving at the back of the group, who eyed him warily.

"We got food." Jasper confirmed. "It was a success."

Shira stood at her mate's side. "So, these are the new sabres we've heard about."

"Yes. Diego, Shira," Marco began. "I'd like you to meet my sister, Ebony and my best friend, Bruno."

Diego and Shira came forward and began to circle the two newcomers, who kept their eyes lowered respectfully.

The rest of the herd watched, curious at this rare peek into a pack sabres' culture.

"We've explained the hunting rules." Carmen told her parents after a moment or two.

"And we will obey." Ebony spoke up.

"That's good to know." Sid commented with relief.

"So now that you've had something to eat," Diego began. "Let's see what you can do."

"Should we go to the training area?" Sasha asked.

Diego turned to his friends. "Would you mind if we had a sparring match here in the clearing? It's big enough."

"I've never really seen a sabre sparring match before." Eddie said excitedly. "This could be a great show!"

"Anyone got popcorn?" Crash added.

"Hold on," Sally said firmly. "I don't want Daisy watching this."

"Good idea," Sid agreed. "Fighting isn't something a little sloth should see." Sid took Daisy by one paw and Sally took the other. "Come on, Daisy I'll show you where some blueberries grow."

Once the sloths were out of sight, Manny gestured to Diego. "Go ahead."

"Alright, ladies first." Shira gestured for Ebony to step forward as the other herd members retreated to the sidelines.

"What's going on?" Peaches asked curiously as she arrived in time to see Ebony and Shira squaring off in the centre of the herd clearing.

"New sabres." Crash explained, munching on a berry with anticipation.

"Diego and Shira are gonna fight them." Eddie added eagerly.

"And we finally get to watch!" Crash finished.

Shira and Ebony circled each other warily, searching for a point of attack.

Ebony suddenly sped up, darting to the side, before attacking Shira's flank. Shira dodged at the last minute, lashing out to cuff Ebony around the head.

"You've got good speed." Shira complimented her. "But make sure you keep moving if you're in range. The moment you stop is the moment they attack you."

Ebony began circling again, faking a couple of lunges before attacking in earnest. Soon, she was pinned to the ground.

"You shift your weight differently when you're faking or attacking." Shira told her. "You can't let your opponent know what you're going to do. Keep your movements as consistent as possible."

Ebony's sparring technique was different to Marco's. She tried to distract, deceive and she darted around the clearing nimbly.

Manny, Ellie, Peaches, Crash and Eddie watched in fascination.

Soon, Shira called a stop to the match. Like Marco, Ebony had proven responsive to the lesson and a competent fighter.

"Nice work, Ebony." Shira congratulated the younger sabre. "You're adaptive and quick thinking. Welcome to the herd."

"Thank you." Ebony said in relief, lowering her head.

"Alright, time for the next round." Diego said, gesturing for Bruno to step up.

"Wait, Dad."

Eyes turned to Nita as she stood up.

"I want to spar him." She announced.

Bruno looked questioningly at Diego, and was surprised to see he looked impressed.

"Are you sure?" Diego smiled, knowing what his daughter would say.

"Yes I am." Nita answered, stepping forward into the ring. "Besides," she continued. "You'll getter a better idea of his ability by viewing from the sidelines."

"True." Diego granted, stepping aside.

"Wait." Bruno couldn't help it. "I'm not fighting her."

"Why?" Diego asked calmly.

"Because I need to prove myself to the pack leader." Bruno explained. "So I need to fight the pack leader, not his daughter."

Diego stood at his full height and brought his face close to Bruno's. The younger sabre shrank away slightly but held his ground.

"Listen kid."Diego growled. "I heard you insulted my daughter this morning, even after she saved your miserable life."

This time Bruno backed away, lowering his eyes. "I apologise for that, sir." He answered humbly.

"Good." Diego continued coolly. "But it's my daughter you insulted, so she gets to spar you." He smiled at the black sabre. "Let's see how well you do against one of the best fighters on the island."

Nita eyes widened as she looked at her father. "Really?"

"Really." Diego assured her as he backed off, leaving Bruno in the ring.

"Go Nita!" Carmen cheered.

"Kick his tail, Sis!" Jasper added.

Slowly, Bruno squared off against the small, sand-coloured sabre. This little sabre was one of the best fighters on the island? Bruno wondered if that was just a father's pride talking.

"Are you ready?" Nita challenged.

'Well, she seems confident.' Bruno thought, crouching in anticipation.

"Ready."

~..~..~..~

After a few minutes, the black sabre became frustrated. No matter what he tried, he couldn't catch Nita, yet she continued to toy with him. Darting, circling and weaving, Nita could attack and be out of range before he had time to think.

"Can't you stay still?" He yelled in frustration as she jumped nimbly away again.

"Why?" Nita cocked an eyebrow."Can't you keep up?"

Bruno growled. Then he realised something.

_That was what she wanted him to do_. Nita was baiting him, getting him frustrated, so he would make mistakes. _That _was why she kept hitting him.

'Well', he thought 'two can play at that game'.

Loosening his shoulders to free the tension built up, Bruno began to circle slowly.

"You know, for someone so tiny," He began, "you're actually pretty fast."

"Thank you." Nita said flatly.

Bruno grinned. Even though he'd complimented her speed, he could tell Nita hadn't liked the jab regarding her size.

"But speed can only get you so far," he continued, pretending he couldn't see the questioning look in Nita's eyes at his sudden change in attitude. "And honestly, you just seem too small to be very strong, Kitten."

Snarling, Nita had Bruno pinned to the ground in seconds.

"I'm stronger than you think." She told him. "And _don't_ call me Kitten."

Bruno grinned. He'd got her mad.

"Whatever you say," he said. Then suddenly it was Nita pinned to the ground.

"Kitten."

"Are you trying to make me mad?' Nita snarled.

"Yeah," Bruno answered smoothly. "You are _so cute_ when you're mad."

Snarling, Nita rolled to free herself before jumping back to her feet.

"What is it with people thinking I'm not strong enough to be able to do anything?" She asked, exasperated.

"Well," Bruno began "you give the impression of being cute and fluffy more than strong and fierce."

That's it. Nita had had enough.

"Don't." She warned. "Call me cute."

Bruno smiled slowly. "Cu-ute"

"Uh, Bruno-" Kane began to warn, before being shoved into silence by his brother.

Next thing Bruno knew, he was flat on his back, with Nita's claws digging into his throat.

Leaning down, Nita lightly brushed her sabre teeth against his neck.

"I win." She whispered.

Meeting those bright, green eyes, Bruno could barely breathe.

He had underestimated her so much.

Nita slowly let the black sabre up, her family and herd cheering her victory.

"That was totally awesome!" Crash cheered as Eddie whistled.

As the cheers died down, Bruno turned to Nita.

"I believe I greatly underestimated you.' He said graciously. "I thought I could turn your size and quick temper against you, but it appears that strategy backfired."

Nita's proud smile turned to surprise as Bruno bowed low before her.

"Can you forgive me?" He asked, lifting only his eyes to meet her shocked gaze.

"O-Of course." Nita replied.

Slowly, Bruno stood up and turned to Diego, who was eyeing him suspiciously.

"Have I proven myself?" Bruno asked respectfully. "Am I worthy?"

Diego considered a moment before answering.

"Although you lost the fight, you were strong enough to admit your mistake, and take responsibility for it." Diego answered. "Welcome to the herd."

"Thank you."

"Wow." Peaches said. "That was exciting."

"You wouldn't really refuse him just 'cause he lost a fight, would you Diego?" Ellie asked.

"In a pack, you might." Diego granted. "But, this isn't a pack, is it?"

"Okay," Zane stepped forward as Nita went back to her seat. "My turn with the new guy!"

Seeing the slashes on the larger sabre's face made Bruno wary.

"I dunno if I want to fight you, to be honest." Bruno said.

Zane was indignant. "Why not?"

"Well, clearly someone with that many scars has won a lot of fights." Bruno said, keeping his eyes respectfully low.

Zane's expression went from indignant, to surprised, before turning to smug.

"Well-" He began proudly.

"No." Carmen interjected before Zane could begin a bragging story. "It just means he's _survived_ a lot of fights."

"They don't fight to the death, here, Bruno." Marco told him.

Bruno raised his eyes, studying Zane again. A smile tugged at his mouth for a moment before he chuckled.

"So someone did _that _to you, and then let you live?" He asked incredulously. "I would've preferred death to that disgrace."

Zane growled. "I gave as good as I got."

"I doubt that, somehow." Bruno said.

"You have good instincts." Sasha complimented, smirking at the glare Zane directed at her.

"So, who did that to you?" Bruno asked Zane, gesturing to the numerous slashes that marked his skin. "I'd sure like to have a lesson."

Carmen smiled. "You just fought her."

Bruno's eyes widened. "Nita?" He asked, "The Kitten did that?"

"What did you learn before about calling her 'cute'?" Marco asked.

Bruno took the point, remembering how she had just danced rings around him in their sparring match, and his expression became thoughtful.

"So she can swim _and_ she can fight?" Bruno looked to the others for confirmation.

Carmen's smile grew wider. "Very well, on both counts," she nodded.

A corner of Bruno's mouth tugged up in a half smile.

'I wonder what else she can do,' he thought.

_Author's note: So, what did you think of Bruno and Ebony? I had wanted to add more of what Chitza and Kyron are up to, but I thought that would fit better in it's own chapter. This way, I was able to give us more time with Marco's favourite members of his pack. I also tried to add more of Crash, Eddie and Granny, as I realise that I hadn't really mentioned them._

_Please read and review! I'm always open to constructive feedback._


	7. Chapter 7: Enlightenment

**Chapter 7: Enlightenment**

_Author's note: Hey guys! Chapter 7 and 8 were origionally going to be one chapter, that's why they're coming out together. But I thought having two would be better. A lot is starting to happen now, so the story is going to get a little fast. Enjoy!_

Carmen, Sasha, and Shira had taken Ebony on a 'girls only tour' of the island, leaving the guys to their own devices for the afternoon.

"So, where's Nita gone?" Bruno asked as their 'all male' group made their way through the forest.

"Nita's always been a bit of a loner." Kane explained. "So, she's probably somewhere doing her own thing."

"She left before the girls took Ebony out," Diego reminded them from the head of the group. "I'm sure she would have joined in if she'd been there."

"And the reason Nita's usually on her own," Jasper added, "is because 'socialising' normally meant going to the Rock, where she got teased by the rest of the herd. Whenever we did our training sessions, she was always joining in."

"Training sessions?" Bruno queried.

"Hunting, tracking, climbing, jumping, running and fighting" Zane ticked off.

"Because we live in a herd," Diego explained, "It can be difficult finding a place to practice where we don't, uh, offend anyone with a vegetarian diet."

Bruno nodded his understanding. This was certainly different.

"So, where do you train?" He asked.

"Right here." They'd arrived at the training area.

Bruno stepped forward and took in the large, boulder strewn clearing.

"Wow." He commented, casting his eyes over the arena. "This looks perfect."

"This is where we learn to be the best." Zane said smugly, leaping up onto a boulder.

"Well, I can tell you still need a few more lessons." Bruno commented, ignoring Zane's indignant expression before turning to Diego.

"So, this is where you taught everyone to fight?"

"Yep." Diego said proudly. "Shira and I have taught the kids almost everything they know."

"And Nita's the best fighter?" Bruno queried.

"Well, everyone can fight well." Diego amended. "But Nita has certainly improved the most over the past few days. She really knows how to use her strengths to her advantage."

"She's definitely the best climber out of all of us." Jasper said proudly.

"She can climb too?" Bruno asked.

"Yeah, I've seen it." Marco added. "She can actually run across the branches, moving from tree to tree."

"Wow." Bruno was impressed. "I've never heard of any sabre being able to do that."

"You know, you're asking a lot of questions about Nita." Diego said suspiciously.

"Well," Bruno began smoothly. "She did just defeat me in a sparring match, quite well, I might add. And who better to improve my own skills with, than one of the Island's best?"

"That's a very good point." Marco put forward to Diego, who was still considering Bruno carefully.

~..~..~..~

"So, what's the deal between you and my brother?" Ebony asked Carmen bluntly as their group explored the forest.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Carmen said, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope." Ebony confirmed. "So spill."

"Well, I like him..." Carmen began.

"Good, 'cause he likes you too." Ebony interjected.

"Really?" Carmen asked hopefully.

Now it was Ebony who cocked an eyebrow. "Can't you tell?"

"Yes I can." Carmen answered. "But, it's still nice to have it confirmed."

Shira laughed. "Believe me, sweetheart." She called back from up ahead. "Anyone who sees the way he looks at you can tell that he likes you, even if he's not obvious about saying it."

"Now, Bruno on the other hand..." Sasha commented and Ebony actually smiled.

"Yeah. Bruno is a little more obvious than Marco." She admitted.

"You like him?" Carmen asked.

"He's been my friend for as long as I can remember." Ebony answered. "He's like my second brother."

"He seemed impressed by Nita's skills." Shira had dropped back to join in on the girl talk.

"So was I." Ebony admitted. "Just by looking at her, I never would have thought that she could have beaten Bruno."

"I don't know why she just left after the match, it would've been nice for her to join us." Carmen mused. "Wonder where she went?"

~..~..~..~

Nita panted as she ran along the shore of Switchback Cove. Soon, she had reached the forest edge.

"Kyron?" Nita called out. "Kyron? Are you here?"

A few moments passed before a shape moved amongst the trees.

"Nita." Kyron greeted smoothly as he stepped onto the sand. "You're back earlier than I thought. I'm pleased to see you."

"I'm glad you haven't moved far." Nita smiled. "Or I wouldn't be able to find you."

"Well, I'm still not fully acquainted with the Island yet." Kyron explained sheepishly. "I didn't want to travel too far."

Nita moved closer. "If you like, I can show you around and explain the rules here."

The older sabre looked sceptical. "Rules?"

Nita nodded." Yep. This is an island," she said. "There are limited amounts of food, so we have to be careful. And seeing that our herd is made up of herbivores more than sabres-"

"What?" That got Kyron's attention.

Nita smiled apologetically. "I probably need to start at the beginning..."

Kyron nodded. "Let's walk, and you can tell me everything."

Nita took Kyron into the forest, leading him along a trail that led uphill before doubling back in the direction of the herd clearing.

She told him the same things that she had told Marco about the hunting rules on the Island, and about her herd.

Like Marco, Kyron was surprised to find that Nita lived as part of a herd, and asked a lot of questions about what animals made up the herd, and how they all managed to live together peacefully.

As the pair turned a corner, they were forced to stop.

Before them, blocking the trail, was a large boulder and a pile of rocks and debris.

"Oh, no." Nita sighed stepping forward. "Not another one."

"Does this happen often?" Kyron asked with interest.

Nita nodded. "This island is covered with cliffs, and as a result, we actually have a lot of areas on the island where there's loose rock, so we do get quite a few rock slides."

"Interesting." Kyron mused.

Nita crept forward again. "This trail is the quickest way to get back to the herd clearing." She said. "We need to clear the path."

"What?" Kyron asked.

"We need to clear it." Nita repeated. 'Usually, we ask Manny, Ellie and Peaches to do it..."

"The mammoths?" Kyron confirmed.

"...but this looks like it's just this boulder that's really doing the blocking." Nita finished."If I can shift the boulder, the rest should come free easily."

"Oh no." Kyron shook his head with concern. "Don't try it, Nita. It's too big for you to push."

Nita's felt her whole body tense up. "What," she hissed "is with people always thinking I'm not strong enough to do anything?"

Kyron regarded the smaller sabre knowingly. "Alright." He granted, gesturing up to the boulder blocking the path. "Do your best to move it."

Nita looked up at the older sabre in surprise. "What?"

"Go ahead." Kyron repeated, smiling. "Prove yourself."

Grinning, Nita ran forward to examine the large boulder, Kyron gazing after her.

'No exception.' He thought smugly.

Examining the boulder, Nita realised that she couldn't shift the thing by pushing it on her own. But, she told herself, that didn't mean that she still couldn't move it.

Digging away at the loose rocks around the base of the boulder, Nita smoothed a path for the boulder to travel.

Then, she wedged the end of a large tree branch she found amongst the debris underneath the boulder, creating a lever.

Cautiously, Nita began to then push large rocks atop the other end of the tree branch, the leaves and twigs creating a natural basket. With the weight, the tree branch began to bend, and the boulder began to shift.

Kyron watched, fascinated from the sidelines.

Eventually, Nita climbed up the rocky wall of the cliff and jumped, landing on the pile of rocks on her tree branch lever.

With a creak and the screech of rock, the lever pushed the boulder up and forward, freeing it.

Nita watched, exhausted from her work, as the boulder rumbled down the path toward the edge of the cliff. Teetering at the edge for a moment, the boulder then plunged down into the icy water below.

Kyron raised his eyebrows. He had to admit it. It had been an impressive display of ingenuity.

It had also given him an idea...

"Well done, Nita." He congratulated the young sabre. "Very well done."

~..~..~..~

"Whoa!"

Bruno 's paws skidded on the loose rock, and he clung to the edge of the rock face. He had overshot a jump and just narrowly avoided a drop that would have certainly broken something.

"Bruno!" He heard his friend call from below him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, breathing hard.

Cautiously, Bruno edged his way over to where he was meant to land, where he was able to find a more stable platform to make his way down to the arena floor.

"Whew! That was close." He breathed as his paws touched solid ground.

"Don't worry," Jasper said. "It took me a while to get that jump."

"Nita can't even do that jump." Zane commented. "It's too far for her. She has to jump on those two rocks over there", he gestured over to one side, "in order to make it across."

"Carmen and Sasha can do it easily, though." Kane added.

"So can I." Zane said stepping up. "Watch the master."

"Okay," Bruno said, turning away. "I'll wait to watch Carmen and Sasha."

Bruno settled down under a tree to watch Zane and Kane take turns at jumping across the ditch that had been set up.

"Okay, I have to admit, you're pretty good." He conceded after a while.

After a few more tries, Bruno and Marco had both nailed a perfect jump each.

"Okay." Marco said as he and Bruno watched Diego and Kane having a sparring match. "What's your deal with Nita?"

"What do you mean?" Bruno kept his eyes on the fight.

"Come on, I know you." Marco said. "You only bow when you're trying to impress, or make a point. Now, I know you were trying to make a good impression on Carmen and Sasha at the Rock, but were you _just_ apologising to Nita after the match?"

Bruno shuffled his paws awkwardly. "I underestimated her so much." He said thoughtfully. "And I _was_ kind of rude to her at the beach, so I wanted to make up for that."

"And?" Marco knew that couldn't be all it was.

Bruno sighed. "She was really impressive." He admitted. "I thought at first that Diego was just being a proud dad when he said that Nita was a great fighter, but...she completely took me by surprise. "

His eyes shifted to his friend before flicking back to the fight. "I wanted to give her the respect she deserved." He said steadily.

Marco raised his eyebrows. "That's it?"

"That's all I'm gonna say." Bruno answered.

When it was Jasper and Bruno's turn in the training ring, Diego began circling the arena, keeping an eye on things, until he noticed something strange.

"Hey Marco." Diego called out. "Are these tracks yours?"

Marco trotted over to examine the faint marks on the trail.

After a moment, Marco shook his head. "No, they're not mine, or Bruno's or Ebony's. But they're a couple of hours old, the dirt and wind has taken away any real identifying marks."

"I can identify my family's prints even after a few hours." Diego said. "And I can't recognise these. So if they're none of yours, whose are they?"

Marco thought for a minute before gasping in realisation.

"Switchback Cove." He stated surely.

"What?"

"Switchback Cove." Marco repeated. "Nita said that she'd met a member of my pack at Switchback Cove early this morning. Maybe that's where she's gone."

"What?" Diego's voice was flat. "When were you planning on telling me this?"

"Uh, now, I guess." Marco said, thinking hard. He'd forgotten about this other sabre in his relief at finding Bruno and Ebony. But most of his pack members would be the type to make someone like Nita stay away, so he couldn't think of why she's head back to the area.

Marco closed his eyes. He should have remembered this earlier. Nita, and the other sabres, bar Diego and Shira, didn't have any idea of what pack life or pack sabres were really like. He, Bruno and Ebony were exceptions, as they were low in the pack line, but someone higher up...

"Marco." Diego growled.

"Look, Diego." Marco said quickly. "I think that Nita might be at Switchback Cove, but even if she isn't, the other sabre should be close by. I'm going to go and see who it is, and bring Nita back if she's there."

"I'll go with you." Diego needed to make sure his daughter was safe, and Marco might need back up. Nita found one sabre, but that didn't mean that there weren't more.

"No." Marco said firmly. "You need to make sure everyone else is safe until we know who we're dealing with. Give Shira and the mammoths a heads up, and make sure the sloths and possums don't wander. Most of my pack wouldn't live by your island rules." He finished drily.

Diego thought for a moment before agreeing.

The two sabres turned and began running in separate directions. Diego, gathering the boys together, and leading them back to the herd clearing, roaring as he went to let Shira know that something was going on.

Marco followed the trail that he and Nita had followed on his first day on the island. The one that led to the Cove.

~..~..~..~

"So, Bruno is here as well, now?" Kyron mused as he led Nita back to his original camp.

"Yes, and I beat him in a sparring match." Nita said proudly. "He thought that I was too tiny to be able to do anything."

"Well, that was clearly a mistake." Kyron purred. "You are clearly quite capable."

"Thank you," Nita held her head high. She felt that she was finally proving herself. Maybe now people would start taking her seriously.

"Ebony did really well against my mother, though." Nita continued. "My mum's a great fighter, but Ebony was able to keep up with her."

"Ebony is here?" Kyron asked. This could be a problem. He hadn't expected to see Ebony again.

~..~..~..~

Marco was breathing hard as he approached the forest edge as it reached the Cove. Staying low, Marco peered through a gap in the trees, and saw Nita talking to another black sabre by the shoreline.

His blood turned cold.

It was Kyron. Second in command in his pack.

Oh, no.

Cunning and manipulative, Kyron had always wanted to be the pack leader. The only way Marco had avoided getting sliced in the night was by keeping his mouth shut.

Growing up as part of a herd, Marco knew that Nita wouldn't understand the danger she was in, but Kyron didn't do anything without a reason.

What did he want with Nita?

Hearing a rustle behind him, Marco spun around to see the only sabre worse than Kyron.

His mate, Chitza.

"Hiya Marco." The ferocious female's smile was chillingly gleeful.

~..~..~..~

"Bye Kyron! See you tomorrow!"

Kyron watched Nita run back home with amusement. 'So naive.' He thought, mulling over the enlightening afternoon. He had learnt so much from the cub, and he'd barely had to do a thing!

A rustle behind him alerted him to company.

"Look what I found in the forest." Chitza announced, pushing Marco unceremoniously forward, he landed hard on the ground at Kyron's feet.

"Well, well, well." Kyron said silkily. "Marco. How thrilled I am to see you."

"Hey Kyron." Marco tried to keep his voice light, but he could feel himself shaking slightly. "Wish I could say the same."

A large paw grabbed the back of his neck, pinning him to the ground. Marco's claws raked the ground fruitlessly, trying to get room to breathe.

"You've forgotten your manners, living with this..._herd_." Kyron sneered. "I remember when you were more _respectful_." Kyron pushed down hard to press his point, before releasing the young sabre. Gasping for air, Marco stood back up.

"That wasn't respect." He spat. "But I'm not afraid of you anymore."

Pain shot through his back, and Marco turned to see Chitza's claws digging into his skin.

"Well," she said smoothly. "We'll have to rectify that, won't we?"

"What do you want with Nita?" Marco spat out with a growl.

Kyron smiled. "The same thing I wanted with Ebony." His voice was smooth, but there was a knowing look in his eye.

Marco snarled. Kyron's smile only became more smug.

"Tell me, Marco," He continued casually. "How is your sister?"

Roaring, Marco wrenched free of Chitza's grasp and launched himself at the bigger sabre.

Only to find himself pinned to the ground again.

"Always pouncing first." Kyron continued lazily. "Your eagerness was always your weakness, Marco. Much like your sister."

"You won't get her on your side, Kyron." Marco promised. "You're not dealing with a pack. The herd actually look out for each other. Nita won't betray her family."

Kyron brought his face close to Marco's. "I got Ebony to betray your father." He reminded the young sabre.

"She came back!" Marco yelled.

"Too late to save your father's life." The older sabre said casually.

"Now it's too late to save yours." Chitza hissed.

Kyron chuckled softly. "While I have always admired your pragmatic nature, my dear," He said, turning to his mate, "We cannot kill him yet. It would draw too much attention."

Chitza looked perplexed. "But, if we let him live, he'll just warn his new _herd_ about us."

"True." Kyron murmured, turning back to Marco thoughtfully. "Decisions, decisions."


	8. Chapter 8: Lies and landslides

**Chapter 8: Lies and Landslides**

As the day gave way to the evening, Bruno and Ebony cautiously made their way through the forest. They hadn't seen Marco all afternoon, since Diego had gathered them together. Nita had returned a while ago, but Marco had yet to make his reappearance. In a pack, that normally meant they weren't coming home.

And while they were now in the herd, old fears die hard. They decided to search for him.

"Anything?" Ebony asked, eyes scanning the trees.

"Nothing." Bruno replied.

Worried, Ebony thought about suggesting they travel to another part of the island, when Bruno became still.

"Wait." He whispered excitedly. "I've got tracks!"

Creeping over, Ebony examined the markings left in the mud, and sighed in relief. The paw prints belonged to her brother. She'd recognise them anywhere.

As they followed the tracks, Ebony realised they were getting closer to the ocean. She could smell the sea salt on the air.

"Bruno! Ebony!" A voice called. "Get out of here!"

Turning, Ebony saw her brother imprisoned within the tangled roots of a tree.

"Marco?" Cautiously, she and Bruno approached, listening for the sounds of anyone watching.

"What happened?" She asked her brother, noticing the claw marks on his back.

"Get back to the herd." Marco whispered fiercely. "You have to warn them."

"Of what, buddy?" Bruno asked as he examined the cage, trying to find a weak point.

"Kyron's here."

A snarl grew at the back of Ebony's throat.

"Well, that answers the question of how you got in the tree." Bruno said drily.

"What does he want?" Ebony hissed.

"What he's always wanted: To be leader of the pack." Marco looked pointedly at his sister. "This time he's getting Nita to help him do it."

"Nita?" Bruno's eyes widened.

"And she doesn't even know it." Marco confirmed. "You have to get back and-"

Whoomph!

Bruno found himself flat on his back, glaring into the eyes of Chitza, while Ebony had Kyron's paws pushing her into the ground.

"Quite a family reunion isn't it?" Chitza smiled at the disgust on Bruno's face.

"Ebony." Kryon smiled. "Last I saw you, you were floating on an ice burg. I'm so glad you made it here safely."

Ebony snarled fiercely, struggling to free herself.

"Let her go, Kyron!" Marco yelled, charging at the walls of his cell, trying to break free.

"Last I saw you," Ebony growled. "You pushed me."

"Well, it was either the ice burg, or my teeth." Kyron explained mildly. "And given the tidal wave, I thought the ice burg was the logical option."

"You used me!" Ebony yelled.

"Are you still holding a grudge about that? I use everybody." Kyron's voice was nonchalant. "If you don't do what I need you to, there's no point in keeping you."

"You hear that, Chitza?" Bruno smirked into his captor's face. "Kyron will even leave _you_ for dead if you don't do what he says. What kind of mate would do that, huh?"

Chitza simply pressed harder on Bruno's throat.

In one swift movement, Ebony managed to get out from under Kyron. Distracted, Chitza lessoned her grip on Bruno, allowing him space to push her away.

Kyron pounced, but only grabbed air. Ebony jumped, pushing off the wall of Marco's cell to leap over the group. Landing nimbly, Ebony raced into the forest.

"Run Ebony!" Marco yelled.

Bruno tried to follow, but was taken down by both Kyron and Chitza.

"Get the girl!" Kyron roared. Chitza plunged into the trees. Kyron knocked Bruno unconscious before following his mate.

Heart pounding, Ebony raced for the herd clearing. She knew that if she could just reach the herd, she would be safe. There was no way that Kyron and Chitza could take on three mammoths and nine sabres on their own.

Kyron and Chitza were following, but their quarry had got a decent head start.

All too soon, they began to get closer to the herd clearing, and while Ebony pushed herself harder, Kyron signalled to Chitza to slow down.

"Why are we stopping?" Chitza demanded. "We could've reached her!"

"Not before she had got close enough for the herd to hear." Kyron answered through gritted teeth. "We have no chance defeating the sabres on their home ground."

"But Ebony will tell them everything!"

"Exactly." Kyron said bluntly. "All that means is that our plan will have to be put in motion earlier than we thought."

~..~..~..~

The herd were relaxing around Sid's latest bonfire when Ebony burst into the clearing like she was running for her life.

"Ebony!" Ellie exclaimed in concern. "What happened?"

Ebony looked fearfully over her shoulder for a moment, before sighing with relief. "They didn't follow me."

"Who?" Diego asked.

"Marco and Bruno have been captured." She panted.

"What?" Carmen asked in shock.

"Kyron and his mate, Chitza." Ebony continued. "They've captured Bruno and Marco."

"Are these the new sabres that Nita met?" Diego asked.

All eyes turned to Nita, who appeared to be frozen.

"I-I met Kyron earlier" she admitted. "But I've never met Chitza."

"Kyron is second in command of our pack," Ebony told her. "He manipulates others to do his dirty work while he hides behind lies and pretty words."

Nita frowned. "Chitza may have captured Bruno and Marco, but not Kyron. He's never tried to hurt me."

"That's what he does!" Ebony argued. "He pretends he's your friend, that he sees potential in you, then once you've done what he wants, he gets rid of you!"

"Guys!" Carmen yelled, calling a halt to the argument. "We need to help Marco and Bruno."

"She's right." Shira said firmly. "We have to help our herd first."

"Let's just go break them out now." Jasper suggested, ready to go. "They can't take on all of us at once."

"They'll be expecting it." Ebony shook her head. "And they'll probably kill them if we all go now. We'll have to be discreet with this if we're going to get them out alive."

While the herd began discussing different strategies, no one noticed Nita sneak off.

~..~..~..~

Bruno woke up feeling like a herd of mammoths were dancing inside his skull.

"Welcome back, buddy."

Moaning in protest of his pounding head, he struggled to open his eyes, Bruno saw his best friend sitting opposite him.

"What happened?" Bruno asked, rubbing his head.

"Ebony escaped." Marco summed up with relief. "Problem is, Kyron and Chitza are planning on taking out Diego and Shira tomorrow."

"Well, at least Ebony can give everyone a heads up." Bruno tried to stay optimistic, despite being held prisoner in a tree. "Poor Nita, she's gonna feel terrible about this."

He frowned when he saw the smile on Marco's face.

"What?"

"Nothing" Marco's voice was innocent, before his eyes became downcast.

"Quite a family reunion, wasn't it?" Marco asked drily.

Bruno laughed humourlessly. "Oh, yeah." He agreed. "Auntie Chitza still has a heck of a tackle."

~..~..~..~

Kyron was taking the first watch while Chitza was sleeping, keeping an eye out for anyone approaching.

As the evening darkened, he saw a movement ahead.

"Kyron?" A voice called.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he realised who it was.

"Nita." He purred in greeting. "What brings you here at this time of night?"

Nita emerged cautiously from the trees. The black sabre's coat was so camouflaged against the night, if it weren't for the three quarter moon, she wouldn't be able to see him.

"Where are Bruno and Marco?" She demanded.

"You're getting to the point, now, aren't you?" He laughed.

The small sabre's eyes widened. "So, you really do have them prisoner?"

Kyron's smile became wider. "Well, it would be nice to have a bit of leverage against your herd." He answered calmly.

Nita's heart began to pound as she finally realised how much trouble she was in. Why had she come here alone?

"You lied to me." She mumbled in shock.

"No I didn't." Kyron chuckled. "All I did was ask questions. You're the one who told me everything about your herd. Thank you."

It was like Nita's brain had shut down. She had treated Kyron just as she'd treated Marco, trying to welcome him to the Island. How could she be so _stupid_?

"I guess that's what comes from being part of a herd, not a pack." Kyron said thoughtfully as he crept closer. "You're so... _trusting_."

"What are you going to do?" Nita asked numbly.

Kyron smiled. "Divide and conquer. Care to help?"

"No way." Nita spat.

"No matter." Kyron's smile never left his face. "You already have."

He lashed out.

~..~..~..~

Nita woke up, skull pounding, and realised that she was in the same tree root prison cell as Marco and Bruno.

"Hey Nita." Bruno said as he helped her to her feet. "Welcome to the party."

"How did I get in here?" Nita asked, looking around the small prison.

"We're not quite sure, actually." Bruno admitted. "We were all either asleep or unconscious whenever Kyron dumped us in here. We couldn't see how he opened this thing."

"What were you thinking, coming here on your own?" Marco asked.

Nita shook her head, wincing as pain throbbed through her skull. "I have no idea, to be honest." She admitted. "Ebony arrived at the herd clearing, saying that you guys had been captured. And while I was worried about you, I couldn't believe that Kyron had done it."

" Believe it, Kitten." Bruno muttered.

"So, I guess I came to find out the truth." Nita finished weakly.

"Well, you found it." Marco said.

Nita hung her head. Her whole herd was in danger, because she'd been so open to a complete stranger.

"I can't believe he took advantage of me like that." She whispered.

"Welcome to pack life." Marco snarled. "Is it as exciting as you hoped it would be?"

Nita began to shake. Breathing hard, she tried to calm down.

Marco's expression softened. "You're letting him control you, but you do have a choice, Nita." He said earnestly. "You always have a choice, your herd taught me that."

'You're letting him control you'.

That comment sparked a memory for Nita. When she was younger, of her first few trips to The Rock as a young cub and she was teased repeatedly. She'd often end up running away, the laughter of the other members following her. One day, she'd left and found escape in a tree, where Peaches had found her.

"Don't pay attention to those idiots, Nita." She said soothingly.

"Why are they so mean to me?" Nita asked tearfully. "It can't be just my size. Luis is small, and they don't tease him."

"They used to." Peaches smiled. "But, they still don't realise how often it's the little guys who have the biggest hearts."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, Luis saved my life once." Peaches put forward gently.

Nita looked at her cousin in surprise. "Really?"

Peaches nodded. "When we ran into that band of pirates a few years ago, Captain Gutt captured me to use against my dad."

"Are these the same pirates that my mum used to sail with?" Nita asked.

Peaches nodded. "Luis stood up and told Gutt to let me go. He had always been scared of danger, always playing it safe. But he stood up to all those pirates to protect me."

"All the pirates laughed at him." Peaches continued. "Even some of the herd couldn't believe that he could do anything. The pirates threw him a dagger to use, but Luis couldn't swing it. He'd never used a weapon before. Al l the pirates laughed at him."

"So, how did he save you, then?" Nita asked, curious.

"He's a mole-hog," Peaches smiled. "He did what mole-hogs do best. He dug under the ice and tunnelled underneath everybody, leaping up from under Gutt, Luis smashed his foot with a chunk of ice, making him let me go."

Nita was impressed.

"My point," Peaches added. "Is that even though the pirates were laughing, and the herd didn't believe he could do anything, Louis did what he did because it was the right thing to do. And he did it _his_ way."

"I've learnt that some people say things to you to force a certain reaction." Peaches admitted. "So if you react the way they expect you to..."

"You're letting them control you." Nita realised.

Peaches nodded. "And do sabres let others control them?"

Nita proudly shook her head. "No way."

Nita could feel herself relax, and eventually her shaking stopped.

She had an idea...

~..~..~..~

"Kyron?"

The black sabre turned to see the tiny sabre gazing hopelessly at him through her tree root prison cell.

"Yes, Kitten?"

Nita took a steadying breath. "All you want is for my mum and dad to be defeated, right? You don't actually want to kill them, you just don't want them to challenge you?"

"Of course." Kyron lied smoothly.

"Nita, he's lying." Bruno told her. "He _will_ kill them."

"Now, Bruno." Kyron stepped closer to the prison to observe his nephew. "You know I'm a sabre of my word."

A growl was the only answer that he received.

"But my sister." Nita continued. "My brother. Sasha, Kane and Zane. None of them are going to be hurt right? Or any of the rest of the herd?"

"I promise not to touch them." Kyron said. After all, if he was going to be pack leader, he'd need a pack to lead. "If you promise to help me."

Nita nodded dejectedly. "Alright." She said. "I'll help you."

"What?" Marco exclaimed in shock.

"What happened to 'herds look out for each other?" Bruno asked incredulously.

"I am looking out for my herd." Nita said firmly. "If it means getting their lives spared, I'll take it."

"Such loyalty." Kyron mocked as he carefully let the little sabre out of the cell. "Your family and your desire to prove yourself were your greatest weaknesses, Nita."

As Kyron turned away, he suddenly felt something slam into him from behind, pinning him to the ground.

He looked up to see Nita, her claws digging into his throat.

"You know what your greatest weakness is, Kyron?" Nita hissed.

"Do tell." Kyron, while surprised, appeared unfazed. He knew this tiny sabre couldn't overpower him.

"You're arrogance." Nita answered coolly as both Marco and Bruno attacked, knocking Kyron unconscious.

Together, they dragged him over to the prison and left him inside.

"Okay, let's go!" Nita ordered. "We still have Chitza to worry about."

They ran through the forest as fast as possible. Thankfully though, it seemed that Chitza hadn't heard them leave.

As they approached the herd clearing, they could hear the worried voices of the herd.

'Guess they've figured out I've gone.' Nita thought, and she began to slow down.

"Nita, what are you doing?" Bruno asked as she came to a stop.

Guilt filled Nita up faster than the ocean filling a sea shell. She had told Kyron everything about her herd, given him all the things he needed.

She had betrayed her family.

True, she hadn't realised it. At the time, she thought she was just being friendly. But it didn't change the fact that she'd done it, regardless.

"I'm sorry." Nita whispered. "I can't."

"Can't what?" Marco asked, puzzled.

"I've betrayed my family, Marco." Nita's voice was faint. "That's what a pack does, right? You said so yourself." She hung her head in shame. "How can I face them now?"

"Nita, from what I've seen, your family will totally forgive you for this." Bruno assured her.

"You were never brought up in a pack." Marco added. "You couldn't have known what Kyron would do."

But Nita shook her head. She couldn't stand herself right now. So how could her family?

Turning, she ran away in another direction.

"Nita!" Marco called. "Come back!"

"Marco!"

Ebony and Carmen burst through the trees, followed by the rest of the herd.

"Oh, you're alright." Ebony hugged her brother and Bruno in relief.

"Where's Nita?" Diego demanded.

Bruno gestured in the direction Nita had run. "She went that way." He reported.

"She felt guilty because she had told Kyron about the herd." Marco added. "She's afraid you won't forgive her."

"That's ridiculous!" Peaches said.

"Listen, Kyron's gonna attack the herd tomorrow." Marco said. "He's gonna try and take out Diego and Shira, and start a new pack."

"Over our dead bodies." Jasper growled.

"That may be the case." Bruno muttered.

"Okay, look." Manny said. "If they're attacking tomorrow, we've got tonight to make a plan. Together, we'll be able to get rid of these two."

"I'll go get Nita." Carmen stated. "She's probably feeling terrible, but she's not safe being out here on her own right now."

"Alright, but come straight back, you understand?" Shira impressed on her daughter.

Carmen nodded and moved off, following her sister.

~..~..~..~

Chitza's sleep was interrupted by claws ripping at her ears.

Jumping up, snarling in pain, she reflexively lashed out, creating distance.

It was Kyron. And he looked livid.

"We have work to do." He growled. "Follow me."

They ran through the forest, along the trail that Nita had taken Kyron along earlier that day, toward the herd clearing. Kyron never said a word, and Chitza knew her mate well enough not to ask.

After a while, they came across the pile of boulders, rock and rubble that they had piled up after locking Marco away. Chitza still didn't know what it was for, but the determined look on her mate's face told her that she was about to find out.

Kyron climbed atop the highest boulder, his keen eyes able to cut through the darkness easily to scan the hillside below.

A cool smile spread across his face.

"Perfect." He whispered.

~..~..~..~

Nita lay down under a tree, not bothering to climb up. How could she face her family, knowing that she had betrayed them? Marco had told her about pack life, and how tough it was, but she hadn't listened, treating Kyron just like another straggler to the Island.

"Nita?"

Nita looked up to see her sister picking her way towards her.

"Hey Carmen." Nita replied glumly.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Carmen came forward and gave her a hug.

"Did Marco and Bruno tell you what happened?" Nita asked.

"Manny, mum and dad are coming up with a plan as we speak." Her sister answered. "But I had to come see if you were alright. Why did you leave?"

"I just betrayed my family, Carmen!" Nita stated the obvious.

"And what, you thought we'd disown you?" Carmen asked.

"I doubt anyone is going to forgive me for this." Nita said shamefully,

"You tried to welcome a newcomer and he took advantage of that." Carmen told her sister firmly. "You couldn't have known."

Nita avoided her sister's gaze, still guilty.

"Come on." Carmen backed up and ran ahead a short distance. "The others are waiting for us." She told her. "Mum and dad are worried sick." She added.

Nita sighed, realising that she had to face her herd at some point. "All right," she steeled herself.

But as Nita began to move, a rumble was felt, and then heard, rippling through the forest and making the ground beneath their feet tremble.

Nita and Carmen both froze, ears and eyes searching for the source of the sound.

The rumbling grew to a thunderous roar, and Nita turned her head towards the sound, eyes widening in fear.

Trees, rocks and boulders tumbled down the side of the hill above their heads, gathering speed and debris as the landslide carved a path down the slope.

"Run!" Nita screamed, turning and sprinting into the forest. But she was only able to make it a short way back into the cover of the trees before she was shaken to a stop as the landslide levelled out on the forest floor.

Coughing dust, Nita scrambled to her feet, trying to make something out from the cloud of dirt rising around her. Turning back the way she came, Nita squinted through the veil of dust, searching for her sister.

"Carmen!"

Only silence. Not even a breeze answered her cry.

"Carmen! Where are you?"

As the dust began to settle, Nita's eyes widened in shock as the mountain of rock, trees and rubble loomed before her out of the haze.

Gazing up the hill side, Nita saw the huge, raw wound in the rock that the landslide had left in its wake.

But where was Carmen?

Terror gripped her heart as she jerked her gaze back to the small mountain of rocks in front of her.

Oh, no.

"CARMEN!" Nita screamed.

_Author's note: Okay guys, calm down! Please not hate mail for leaving you on a cliff-hanger! Now, as you can imagine, my next couple of chapters will be about the 'herd vs pack' battle so it may take me while to update, especially as I have to think of a way to free Carmen from the rockslide (come on, did you really think I'd kill her?) Please review!_


	9. Chapter 9: Saving Carmen

Author's note: Hi everybody! I am sooooooooooooo sorry that it has taken so long for me to update this story. The reaso nfor this is that, other than my 'Ice Age' muse going on a holiday, I've been writing about three other fanfic stories, as well as working and other aspects of life getting in the way of writing. Thank you all so much for reading, favouriting, following and reviewing, and I hope you enjoy reading chapter nine. (Finally!)

~..~..~..~..

"Carmen!"

Nita picked her way around the rocks and rubble that now blocked the forest trail, searching for any sign of her sister.

'Oh please, please' Nita begged. 'Let Carmen be alive.'

"Nita!"

The young sabre looked up to see her herd racing towards her.

"What happened?" Her father demanded.

"Carmen's under this!" Nita sobbed, beginning to panic. "We have to get her out!"

"Don't worry, we will." Ellie assured her niece as she used her trunk to pick up a boulder.

Manny and Peaches joined in, carefully lifting the rocks and tree trunks, while the rest of the herd began digging in the rubble, all the while calling Carmen's name.

"Come on, Carmen." Zane pleaded as his claws raked at the loose rock. "Please don't be dead."

"She's alive." Marco said, more to himself than to Zane. "She's alive."

"Carmen!" Crash and Eddie called as they made their way through the gaps in the rocks and into the pile of rock and tree trunks, searching for their niece. "Carmen, where are you!"

Watching her brothers gave Ellie an idea.

"Peaches." She turned to her daughter, "Can you go find Luis? He might be able to find Carmen from underground."

"Got it, mum!" Peaches nodded, and headed off to find her best friend.

Kyron and Chitza looked on from atop the hillside.

"Should we attack them, now?" Chitza asked her mate.

"No."Kyron shook his head. "Let them exhaust themselves working through the night while we get some sleep. We'll attack them in the morning.

~..~..~..~..

Carmen's head throbbed as she slowly opened her eyes. She was surrounded by darkness. Coughing, she cautiously reached forward with her left paw only to meet solid rock just a few inches above her head, and in front of her face.

She was lying on her side, but as Carmen tried to shift to a more comfortable position, she felt pain shoot up her back, and was forced to stop, gasping.

Her back legs were pinned. By what, Carmen couldn't tell, as she could barely turn her head. But still, Carmen knew, her back legs were trapped.

"Nita!" Carmen burst into a fit of coughing as she tried to speak through the dust that had gathered in her throat.

Okay, yelling for help wasn't going to work. Carmen realised that she needed to save her breath and tried to calm down the panic rising in her chest.

How was she going to help her herd find her?

Well, her left front paw was free.

Slowly, she raised her paw, and let it fall to the ground with a thump.

She raised her paw again...Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

~..~..~..~..

After a while, Carmen's paw became numb as she continued to bang the ground beneath her, but she kept on going, unable to think of anything else to get her herd's attention.

Finally, with a final thud, the ground beneath her paw gave way, revealing a small, furry head.

"Carmen!" A voice cried out joyfully.

"Luis?" Carmen smiled in relief. "Luis is that you?"

"Yes." He said, also sounding relieved. "Oh I'm so glad that you're alright. Everyone's so worried about you!"

"You found me." Carmen panted.

"Are you hurt?" The molehog asked, concerned.

"My back legs are trapped." Carmen gestured slightly with her head, wincing as the pain went up her spine again.

"It hurts, so I don't think I've broken my back." Carmen added as Luis climbed out of the hole to see the damage. "But I think I've definitely broken something."

"You're legs are pinned under a tree trunk, here Carmen." Luis said worriedly. "You don't seem to be bleeding though. But it's the trees branches that are keeping the rest of the rocks from falling on your head," He continued, gazing around the small space. "It's like you're in a cage."

"Guess I'm lucky then." Carmen tried a grin.

Luis approached slowly before placing a paw on Carmen's shoulder. "We're going to get you out of here, Carmen. You have your whole herd working together, clearing the debris, and now we know where you are, we can focus our attention here."

Carmen smiled. "Thanks, Luis."

Turning, the molehog headed back to his tunnel. "I'll go tell the others where you are." He said as he jumped in. "You're going to be alright."

As the molehog disappeared, Carmen suddenly wished that he could have stayed.

All she could do now was wait and breathe slowly.

~..~..~..~..

"Carmen!"

Jasper could feel his throat becoming rough as he continued to call his sister's name.

'She's alive, she's alive, she's alive, she's alive, she's alive,' he chanted in his head. The words circled, chasing each other, keeping other thoughts out of his mind.

'This is all my fault', Nita berated herself as she dug frantically, her throat hoarse from calling her sister's name. 'I betrayed my family, and now-"

"Carmen's alive!"

Everyone turned to see the little molehog jump out of the ground.

"Carmen's alive," Luis repeated. "She was protected from the rock by a fallen tree, but her back legs are pinned under the trunk."

"Where is she?" Diego demanded, and Luis examined the rock pile carefully, before making his way over the debris to a specific point.

Placing his ear against the rocks at his feet, he listened carefully.

"She's here," he announced. "I can hear her."

"Alright everybody," Manny announced as he, Ellie and Peaches carefully approached to clear the rock, "Stand back in case this rock slides further, but be ready to help Carmen out, she may be injured."

Despite the darkness, Manny, Ellie and Peaches were able to carefully clear the rock in the area where Luis indicated. Eventually, the rest of the heard were able to join in, including the hyrax, which Sid had called in to help, clearing away the smaller rocks and debris until the broken branches of a tree were exposed.

"Carmen?" Shira called, panting from exertion.

There were a few moments of tense silence.

"Mom?" a muffled voice called.

The herd breathed a collective sigh of relief at hearing Carmen's voice through the rubble.

"Oh, Carmen," Diego sighed. "Are you alright?"

"Dad!" Carmen could be heard laughing wearily with relief. "My legs are pinned under this tree."

"You're gonna be okay, sis," Jasper called down. "We'll have you out soon."

"Carmen, I am so sorry!" Nit apologised as she began digging anew.

"Hey, you didn't dump these rocks on my head, Nita" Carmen brushed the apology aside. "But if you could just get me out of here..."

"On it," Nita replied firmly.

As the herd worked through the night, the rocks were gradually cleared until Carmen's tree cage was revealed.

Panting, the herd rested as Manny, Ellie and Peaches examined the tree that pinned Carmen's legs.

The sabres were lying near Carmen, thankful to finally see her alive. Shira and Diego examined their daughter as best as they could and were grateful to report that she didn't appear to be injured, just stuck.

"Okay Carmen," Ellie announced as she and Manny took up their positions either side of the young sabre, ready to lift the tree, "We're going to lift this tree off you, and then Peaches will pull you out, okay?"

"Okay," Carmen nodded, closing her eyes.

The bulk of the herd backed away to give the mammoths room.

"On three," Manny announced. "One...two...three!"

He and Ellie used their trunks and their tusks to lift the tree off of the young sabre. When it was high enough, Peaches wrapped her trunk carefully around Carmen's middle and gently but quickly, pulled her free.

A cheer went up from the herd as Carmen was set carefully on the ground beside her family.

"Oh, Carmen!" Nita sobbed, hugging her sister. "You're okay!"

Soon, Carmen could barely be seen as she was covered by her family, all hugging her in relief.

"Thank you," Carmen panted as exhausted and relieved as the rest of them. "Thank you all so much."

"How are your legs, sweetie?" Shira asked her, remembering they had been trapped under the tree.

Carmen winced, gasping for breath, but she was able to move both her legs.

"I think they're broken," she reported, feeling panic rising in her chest once more. What use was a sabre with broken legs?

"Don't worry, Carmen," Sid snapped a sharp salute for his niece. "Half pint and I can strap up those legs so they'll heal perfectly well. But you will be confined to your cave and get breakfast in bed every day until at least the next full moon." He finished.

"A whole month of being waited on?" Carmen managed a smile, trying to hide her dread at the idea of being confined. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Well, then, let's get you to bed Princess Shira," Diego told his daughter before turning to the rest of the herd.

"Everyone," he began sincerely, "I can't thank you enough for helping to free my daughter. We would have never have been able to do it without each and every one of you." He grinned. "I guess that goes to show how much better a herd is to a pack."

A cheer went up amongst the herd.

"Speaking of packs..." Marco reminded them all and the noise quickly died down.

Manny looked toward the horizon.

"Alright, we've still got a couple of hours left until dawn," he announced. "Let's get everyone into the cave together and try to get some sleep before Kyron and Chitza show up."

Ellie and Manny carefully picked up Carmen to carry back to the cave, they Hyrax and Sid following, carrying long strips of flax leaves to bind her legs with.

"Why don't we attack them now, while they're sleeping?" Bruno suggested.

"Because they might not be sleeping," Diego explained as he watched his herd return home, exhausted from the night's work.

"And at the moment, we're in no condition to fight anyone.

"But Manny said it was only a couple of hours until dawn." Marco reminded the older sabre.

Diego looked over his shoulder at the young black sabres, so used to fighting even when they had no energy left.

He was once like that.

Now, however, he was more concerned with making sure his daughter got back to the cave safely to begin her recovery.

"Then I suggest we get some sleep," he told them. "Cause we're definitely going to need it in a couple of hours."

At their home cave, Nita sat beside her sister on the rocky central floor as the Hyrax worked together pulling, wrapping and binding the flax-leaf bandages around each of her broken back legs, their nimble bodies and small hands crawling, jumping, throwing, catching and tying with little effort. Soon, Carmen was lying with her back legs held stiffly away from her body.

"Now remember," Sid told Carmen officially. "You are confined to bed rest at least until the next full moon. If the pain gets too much," he added, "you can take these." He placed a small pile of orange berries in front of Carmen's nose.

"Lotus berries?" Diego asked. "You want my daughter _paralysed_?"

"It'll take the pain away, and make sure she doesn't move her legs before they heal," Sid thought it was perfectly reasonable.

"Okay everybody," Ellie said quickly as a growl began to form in Diego's throat. "We should really get some rest now.

"Yeah," Sid agreed. "Tomorrow's the day Kyron's gonna try and kill us all!" He reminded everybody before going out light a light, snoring uproariously.

As everybody found a place to sleep, Carmen looked worriedly around the cave.

"What are we going to do about Kyron and Chitza?" She asked.

"Don't worry about them, Carmen," Shira assured her daughter. "There's only two of them."

"And we'll do what we always do in a herd," Diego told his daughter.

"Look out for each other?" Carmen panted with a smile. It had been a rough night, no doubt about it. But her family was still here, together...

"Absolutely," Diego watched as Carmen's eyes slowly closed from exhaustion.

Settling down, Diego watched as, one by one, his family began to fall asleep from the night's hard work. He hoped they could recover enough energy by morning.

"Diego."

He turned to see that Shira was still awake as well.

"What is it, Kitty?" he asked fondly.

"That landslide," his mate put forward. "Something tells me it wasn't a normal landslide."

Diego nodded. "I know." He'd been thinking the same thing.

"They tried to kill our daughter," Shira growled fiercely and Diego grinned, admiring the warrior he was lucky enough to call his mate.

"They'll pay for that, Shira," Diego assured her. "No one hurts our family."

~..~..~..~..

As the sun rose over the island the next day, Kyron and Chitza examined the landslide.

"Well, it looks like they actually got the girl out," Kyron was impressed. Still, it would have taken an entire night's work, even with the mammoths help, and Kyron was counting on them all being exhausted, injured or both.

He turned to Chitza.

"We need to focus on our goal: Killing Diego and his mate." He told her firmly. "Ignore the others, they're not important. Diego's mine, you just need to focus on her, do you understand, Chitza?"

His mate nodded.

"Yes Kyron," she answered.

"Good. Now let's go," Kyron turned and began making his way towards the 'herd' area, and his new territory.

"Today, there will be a shift in power," he mused aloud.

~..~..~..~..

Author's note: Okay, I know it was short, and probably not worth that long wait...I'm sorry, but I hope you still enjoyed reading it.

The next chapter, as you can probably guess, will be based on Kyron and Chitza trying to kill Diego and Shira. And yeah, there may be only two of them, but remember, the rest of the herd is still exhausted from digging all night and Carmen's badly injured and can't move. All Kyron needs is a chance...

I've got a couple of ideas, but if any body would like to share any thay have, I'm open to suggestions for what you'd like to see in the fight scenes ahead.

Please review!

(And don't hate me for giving you such a short chaper after such a long wait-Flinches defensively.)


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